HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Equal Pay

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2011, Official Report, column 695W, on equal pay, what the results of the most recent equal pay audit of employees of the House of Commons Service are.

John Thurso: A draft equal pay audit report is complete and the House will be consulting the trade unions on the findings during May. It is expected that a final version of the report, including a summary version for wider distribution, will be available in June.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

Owen Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since 12 April 2010, my Department has not paid (a) damages, (b) claimant costs or (c) defendant costs in respect of any civil claims brought in 2010-11.
	In answering this question, the Department has assumed that the term “civil claims” refers to claims issued in England and Wales, in the courts of civil jurisdiction (the High Court and the county courts). The figures provided do not therefore include employment-related claims pursued through the employment tribunals.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has provided advice to the London borough of Bromley to assist in its assessment of BT's plans for superfast broadband in the area.

Edward Vaizey: There has been no advice offered to any local authority about British Telecom's plans or any other private supplier by the Secretary of State, or the Department.

Broadband

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what advice he has given to local authorities on the provision of superfast broadband services by (a) BT and (b) other providers.

Edward Vaizey: Broadband Delivery UK published guidance on 7 March for local authorities in England on local broadband plans. It has also provided data and set up discussion forums for local authorities preparing local broadband plans.

Broadband

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on measures to ensure that local authorities do not use the planning regulations to resist the optimum development and availability of superfast broadband services.

Edward Vaizey: Discussions have taken place in the context of Budget 2011 and the Growth Review about the need to ensure that the planning regime supports superfast broadband rollout. The Government have committed to reforming the planning system to support economic growth and work on that is ongoing.

National Archives

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport for what reasons individuals are not able to take out a subscription to access the National Archives online.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	As part of its strategy for making its collections accessible in digital format, the National Archives works with a variety of partners who make their material accessible online, nearly all of whose services are available at a variety of subscription rates to individual users. However, commercial academic partners who produce themed collections of primary historical sources from the National Archives collection currently only sell their editions to university and public libraries. The National Archives is actively encouraging these publishers to make such collections as “State Papers Online” available via individual subscriptions. These services can also be viewed at many public libraries which also purchase collections from these academic publishers, and the services are free of charge within their reading rooms. In addition, all the records which are available online from National Archives are available free of charge in the reading rooms at Kew.
	The National Archives' internally-funded service through which original records can be downloaded online, “Documents Online”, is currently only available on a pay-per-view basis to individuals and by annual subscription to institutions such as university and public libraries. However, a project is under way to provide an individual subscription model, work on which is currently expected to be finished in 2012.

Ofcom

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on the estimated opportunity cost of use of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum; and what estimate he has made of the level set for administered incentive pricing of that spectrum.

Edward Vaizey: Ministers have not had any recent discussion with Ofcom on the opportunity cost of the use of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum. The current level of administered incentive pricing for the 900 MHz spectrum is £25 million per annum and for the 1800 MHz spectrum is £40 million per annum. In December 2010 I directed Ofcom to revise the annual licence fees applying to the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum after completion of the auction of the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum, so that they reflect the full market value of the spectrum, having particular regard to the sums bid for licences in the auction. I have made no estimate as to what the level of those future annual licence fees might be.

Olympic Games 2012

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many tickets for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics his Department plans to purchase for use by (a) Ministers and (b) officials; for which events; and at what cost.

Hugh Robertson: Government have bid for 9,000 Olympic Games tickets in total; some of these will be used by Government for liaison with international and domestic political and business leaders, dignitaries and others with a close connection to the Games. We are currently considering how best Ministers can promote UK plc to this audience but, at this stage, the final range of events, dates and number of tickets to be purchased has still to be decided.
	3,000 of the Government’s bid will be made available to staff who have been heavily involved in the London 2012 project. All eligible staff have been invited to enter a ballot to purchase one pair of tickets, which they will pay for at face value.
	Policy on tickets for the Paralympics is currently being considered in advance of the launch of sales later this year.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what advice the Government Equalities Office provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in that Office.

Lynne Featherstone: Government Equalities Office welcomes interest from people wishing to work as an intern, undertake a work experience placement or as a volunteer.
	We ask that individuals provide a written request outlining the opportunity they require together with a copy of their curriculum vitae.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity: Export Credit Guarantees

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has provided information to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) on the effects on biodiversity of businesses supported by the ECGD.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has not provided information to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) on the effects on biodiversity of businesses supported by the ECGD.

Forests: Developing Countries

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department is providing funding to the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries programme.

James Paice: holding answer 26 April 2011
	DEFRA is responsible for £100 million for forestry in support of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), under the UK's £2.9 billion International Climate Fund that was announced in the 2010 spending review.

Peat

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will introduce mandatory targets for the gardening and horticulture industry to phase out the use of peat-based composts;
	(2)  if she will introduce a levy on retail peat-based composts.

Richard Benyon: A public consultation on future policy to further reduce and eventually phase out the horticultural use of peat in England closed on 11 March. The consultation proposed that a voluntary, partnership approach is followed to deliver phase-out targets, including for the amateur gardener market and professional horticulture, and sets out the rationale for doing so. Consultation responses are now being analysed, and will inform the development of a future policy framework.

Sewers: Private Sector

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date she expects to publish the regulations relating to transfer of private drains and sewers; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Draft regulations to effect the transfer of private sewers and lateral drains that connect to the public sewerage system were laid before Parliament on 26 April and are available online at:
	www.legislation.gov.uk

Water: South East England

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department plans to take to ensure the provision of a sufficient supply of water to meet the needs of people living in London and the south-east in the next 10 years.

Richard Benyon: All water companies in England and Wales are required to maintain 25-year Water Resources Management Plans which describe how each company aims to secure a sustainable demand-supply balance over the period. Water companies follow a “twin track” approach to managing supplies, considering both demand management actions and the need for new or enhanced supply to ensure they can deliver secure and sustainable supplies of water to their customers. The current plans cover the period 2010 to 2035.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Conditions of Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has assessed the levels of (a) stress and (b) potential fatigue experienced by pilots on standby duty.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has assessed the level of fatigue that could be accrued by pilots on standby duty and the extent to which hours spent on standby should count towards duty time limits. The effect on pilot fatigue of possible stress arising from standby duty was considered as part of the CAA's assessment. The results of the assessment are reflected in the requirements of CAP 371: Avoidance of Fatigue in Air Crews.

Car Sharing

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on the promotion of car sharing schemes.

Norman Baker: In October I held a roundtable discussion with car sharing operators to discuss how the Department for Transport and the industry could further the uptake of car sharing across England. In January, the Department published the “Creating Growth: Cutting Carbon” White Paper, which made clear the Government's commitment to sustainable travel, including car sharing. Departmental officials continue to work with local authorities and the car sharing industry to promote car sharing and support operators.

Invalid Vehicles

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to his Department's document, “Carriage of Mobility Scooters on Public Transport: Feasibility Study, 2006“, when he plans to publish his Department's guidance on the dimensions and weight of mobility scooters suitable for use on public transport; whether he has had discussions with the train operating companies serving the Brighton and Hove area on the compatibility of their policies on the carriage of four wheel mobility scooters with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: We are currently in discussion with representatives of transport operators (including the Association of Train Operating Companies), manufacturers and user groups, and will publish guidance on scooters on public transport as soon as possible. Any decision made on scooters being carried on public transport will aim to strike a balance between the needs of a user to maintain independence and the operating constraints of the industry.
	Information on existing arrangements, in the meantime, is available through individual operators, whose decisions are based on their own risk assessments.

Motorways

Alistair Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles there are of managed motorways that allow the use of the hard shoulder at peak times; and where they are located.

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency has converted 42.6 miles of hard shoulder for use during the busiest periods. The locations of these sites are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Location Length in miles 
			 M42 J3A-7—Earlswood, west midlands to Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham 21.2 
			 M6 J4-J5—Birmingham to Castle Bromwich, Birmingham 7.8 
			 M6 J8-J10a—Great Barr, Birmingham to Essington, west midlands 13.6

Official Cars: Expenditure

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on the acquisition of new Government cars in the last Parliament; and how much has been spent on such purchases since May 2010.

Michael Penning: During the period of the last Parliament from 2005-10 the Government Car and Despatch Agency spent £4.1 million on the acquisition of outright purchased and leased new cars for use by Ministers.
	Since May 2010 the Government Car and Despatch Agency has spent £3,500 on leased cars for use by Ministers and nothing on the acquisition of outright purchased cars.
	All cars in the Government car fleet are on a routine replacement programme determined by the age of the vehicle.

Roads: Accidents

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likelihood of being (a) killed, (b) seriously injured and (c) injured as a result of a road traffic accident caused by (i) a car, (ii) a goods vehicle and (iii) a cyclist based on the number of accidents each has caused in each of the last 10 years and the extent to which they use the roads;
	(2)  what proportion of road traffic accidents that resulted in (a) death, (b) serious injury and (c) slight injury were caused by (i) a car, (ii) a goods vehicle and (iii) a cyclist in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: No estimates have been made regarding the likelihood of being killed or injured as a result of accidents caused by various vehicle types and the Department for Transport's accident data do not assign blame or collect information on causes of accidents.
	However, the information regarding the type of vehicles involved in reported personal injury accidents and their involvement rates by severity of accident per 100 million vehicle miles over last 10 years is published in table 10 of “Reported Road Casualties Great Britain—the annual report”. Copies of the said publication have been deposited in the Libraries of the House. The table can also be downloaded from the Department's website at the following link:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/excel/173025/221412/221549/227755/503336/RCGB09tables1to20.xls

Roads: Accidents

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many cyclists have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in a collision with (i) a car, (ii) a motorcycle, (iii) a goods vehicle, (iv) a bus or coach, (v) another cyclist and (vi) any other vehicle in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many pedestrians have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in a collision with (i) a car, (ii) a motorcycle, (iii) a goods vehicle, (iv) a bus or coach, (v) a cyclist and (vi) any other vehicle in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: The number of reported pedal cyclist casualties, in Great Britain 2000-09, who were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in reported road accidents involving another vehicle is given as follows. Accidents involving more than one vehicle in addition to the pedal cycle are counted against each relevant vehicle type in this table. There will therefore be some double counting within the table. In multi-vehicle accidents, information on the type of collision between the vehicles involved can not be reliably determined.
	
		
			 Pedal cyclists 
			 Accidents involving at least one: Cyclist injury 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Car Killed 58 65 73 69 80 83 93 67 67 61 
			  Seriously injured 2,059 1,970 1,826 1,809 1,694 1,751 1,804 1,915 1,922 2,051 
			 Motorcycle Killed 6 7 0 2 2 5 2 1 0 3 
			  Seriously injured 45 54 52 45 55 43 56 40 29 46 
			 Light goods vehicle Killed 58 65 73 69 80 83 93 67 67 61 
			  Seriously injured 2,059 1,970 1,826 1,809 1,694 1,751 1,804 1,915 1,922 2,051 
			 Heavy goods vehicle Killed 31 33 31 26 22 26 25 33 27 19 
			  Seriously injured 121 104 100 82 91 80 92 92 85 77 
			 Bus or coach Killed 7 6 4 4 7 10 4 6 7 4 
			  Seriously injured 68 64 63 66 43 56 61 62 61 65 
			 Pedal cycle Killed 127 138 130 114 134 148 146 136 115 104 
			  Seriously injured 2,643 2,540 2,320 2,297 2,174 2,212 2,296 2,428 2,450 2,606 
			 Other/unknown vehicle Killed 4 3 2 2 1 3 2 4 2 3 
			  Seriously injured 34 37 29 22 33 21 22 31 49 33 
			 Total pedal cyclist casualties Killed 127 138 130 114 134 148 146 136 115 104 
			  Seriously injured 2,643 2,540 2,320 2,297 2,174 2,212 2,296 2,428 2,450 2,606 
		
	
	The number of reported pedestrian casualties, in Great Britain 2000-09, who were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in reported road accidents by the vehicle they collided with is given as follows:
	
		
			 Pedestrians 
			 Vehicle Pedestrian injury 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 
			 Car Killed 590 531 534 533 462 470 471 433 391 353 
			  Seriously injured 7,161 6,828 6,496 5,886 5,552 5,251 5,236 5,064 4,909 4,528 
			 Motorcycle Killed 44 31 34 27 27 23 28 32 21 9 
			  Seriously injured 369 364 333 314 283 261 268 257 220 181 
			 Light goods vehicle Killed 47 59 41 48 43 55 45 46 30 22 
			  Seriously injured 382 384 320 332 329 314 280 331 300 277 
		
	
	
		
			 HGV Killed 101 114 92 91 76 65 69 75 72 65 
			  Seriously injured 206 186 175 179 141 159 150 150 154 127 
			 Bus or coach Killed 60 79 55 57 52 47 53 50 38 40 
			  Seriously injured 356 351 384 343 356 349 335 337 332 285 
			 Pedal cycle Killed 3 0 4 4 1 3 3 4 1 0 
			  Seriously injured 66 60 47 45 49 61 47 48 52 66 
			 Other/unknown Killed 12 12 15 14 10 8 6 6 19 11 
			 Vehicle Seriously injured 101 65 101 60 97 63 60 91 103 81 
			 Total pedestrian casualties Killed 857 826 775 774 671 671 675 646 572 500 
			  Seriously injured 8,641 8,238 7,856 7,159 6,807 6,458 6,376 6,278 6,070 5,545

JUSTICE

Claims: Accidents

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Annex A of the impact assessment of the cumulative Jackson proposals, how many and what proportion of the road traffic accident cases in the data set (a) predated and (b) postdated the road traffic accident claims process; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The dataset analysed does not include the date at which the claim was settled, therefore it is not possible to identify those cases which predated or postdated the introduction of the road traffic accident claims process.

Claims: Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effects on non-personal injury litigants of the removal of after-the-event insurance recoverability in the absence of a qualified one-way costs shifting alternative as proposed for personal injury claims; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: “Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations: The Government Response” was published on 29 March 2011. An updated impact assessment was published alongside the response.

Courts: Conditional Fee Agreements

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases brought on appeal to (a) a circuit judge in the county court, (b) the High Court, (c) the Court of Appeal and (d) the House of Lords and Supreme Court were supported by (i) a conditional fee agreement and (ii) after-the-event insurance in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many personal injury claims were (a) issued and (b) tried by each county court currently scheduled for closure in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of claims processed through the Road Traffic Accident Claims portal were funded by (a) before-the-event insurance, (b) conditional fee agreements and (c) other forms of funding in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many claims proceeding through the Road Traffic Accident Claims portal have been concluded at stage 3 in each of the last three years; and how many and what proportion of claims were awaiting disposal at stage 3 on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice holds statistical information in relation to the numbers of claims for an unspecified amount of money that were (a) issued and (b) tried by each county court that is currently scheduled for closure.
	The following table shows these figures for each year between 2008 and 2010.
	
		
			 Number of claims for unspecified amounts of money which were issued and tried  (1)   by county courts currently scheduled for closure; 2008-10 
			  Claims issued Claims tried  (2, 3) 
			  2008 2009 2010 2008 2009 2010 
			 Aberdare 108 117 111 14 10 22 
			 Ashford 161 205 206 37 30 28 
			 Bishop Auckland 68 52 60 5 6 5 
			 Burton-on-Trent 217 208 163 13 13 6 
			 Cheltenham 346 375 417 18 7 11 
			 Chepstow 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Chorley 394 429 475 0 0 1 
			 Consett 31 41 49 5 5 5 
			 Dewsbury 251 478 420 62 89 90 
		
	
	
		
			 Epsom 165 214 234 27 45 46 
			 Evesham 41 49 71 8 8 1 
			 Goole 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Grantham 154 152 168 0 1 3 
			 Gravesend 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Harlow 399 301 255 36 29 31 
			 Haywards Heath 97 99 96 16 18 12 
			 Hitchin 161 192 173 14 8 10 
			 Huntingdon 73 60 36 0 3 1 
			 Ilford 476 935 586 96 81 56 
			 Keighley 106 109 202 18 19 21 
			 Kidderminster 161 157 120 20 17 7 
			 Lowestoft 101 146 109 8 9 4 
			 Ludlow 13 20 11 0 1 4 
			 Melton Mowbray 31 34 46 1 2 1 
			 Newark 37 2 1 1 1 1 
			 Newbury 79 100 67 1 0 2 
			 Northwich 128 162 234 9 12 25 
			 Oswestry 54 64 48 6 3 0 
			 Penrith 45 62 38 1 0 0 
			 Penzance 54 57 57 11 7 10 
			 Pontefract 445 534 622 43 22 38 
			 Pontypool 100 121 94 4 18 13 
			 Poole 259 280 218 31 42 29 
			 Rawtenstall 2,513 1,671 1,281 2 0 0 
			 Redditch 109 133 124 24 23 34 
			 Rhyl 108 230 174 30 29 27 
			 Rugby 104 91 108 14 5 0 
			 Runcorn 73 93 58 9 19 12 
			 Salford 3,327 4,185 5,355 125 86 75 
			 Shrewsbury 187 175 197 28 14 19 
			 Skegness 0 0 3 0 0 0 
			 Southport 917 1,199 929 58 72 74 
			 Stourbridge 172 221 132 23 16 2 
			 Stratford 32 35 41 6 5 2 
			 Tamworth 128 146 127 12 1 4 
			 Trowbridge 221 247 231 23 12 22 
			 Wellingborough 59 72 56 3 4 1 
			 Whitehaven 89 103 88 8 18 14 
			 Worksop 1,943 637 3 4 6 1 
			 Total 14,737 14,993 14,294 876 818 770 
			 (1) The courts which “own” the cases at the trial stage. These may not be the same courts as where the trials are actually located. (2) Includes both claims which involve trials and small claim hearings. (3) For cases with more than one trial/small claim hearing, only the last trial/small claim hearing is counted. Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	The Road Traffic Accident protocol involving the claims portal was implemented in April 2010. The Ministry of Justice does not hold figures centrally which specifically relate to personal injury claims or trials, or to the funding arrangements for personal injury claimants whether by conditional fee agreements or after-the- event insurance. Personal injury cases including those at stage 3 of the Road Traffic Accident protocol are logged on to the administrative computer systems. However these cannot be accurately distinguished from other types of cases brought for either an unspecified amount of money (where not under the protocol) or under Part 8 (where under the protocol). While appeals are recorded on IT systems, information about how they are supported whether by conditional fee agreements or after-the- event insurance is not held electronically.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the closure of specialist domestic violence courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: There have not been any meetings with the Minister for Women and Equalities regarding the closure of specialist domestic violence courts. Changes to the court estate were subject to public consultation during the summer of 2010 and decisions on the closure of courts were announced in December 2010.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) constituencies and (b) local authority areas will not house a specialist domestic violence court at the end of the court closure programme;
	(2)  how many specialist domestic violence courts he plans to (a) open and (b) close in each of the next three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The provision of courts in England and Wales is not determined by constituency or local authority area boundaries. Many courts, and any specialist domestic violence courts (SDVCs) they might house, serve a number of constituencies and local authority areas and many of these are served by more than one court.
	There are, at present, no plans to open any new specialist domestic violence court systems (SDVCs). As at the end of March 2011 there were 143 SDVC systems housed across 176 magistrates courts in England and Wales. Following the closure of those courts announced in December last year, there will be an SDVC at over 150 courts out of a total of 236 magistrates courts.
	The court estate reform programme will mean the closure of 23 magistrates courts which house an SDVC. However, the closure of a courthouse is not the same as the closure of an SDVC system.
	In the case of the following seven court closures, it is proposed that the work of the existing SDVC will be moved to another courthouse that is part of an accredited SDVC system:
	Acton magistrates court—work moves to the SDVC systems at Uxbridge magistrates court and Feltham magistrates court;
	Barry magistrates court—work moves to the SDVC system at Cardiff magistrates court;
	Hemel Hempstead magistrates court—work moves to the SDVC system at St Albans magistrates court;
	Knowsley magistrates court work moves to the SDVC system at Liverpool magistrates court;
	Salford magistrates court work moves to the SDVC system at Manchester magistrates court;
	Rochdale magistrates court work moves to the SDVC system at Bury magistrates court;
	Tamworth magistrates court work moves to the SDVC system at Burton magistrates court.
	In the case of the following 12 court closures, the closing courthouse is only one within a system and so the system remains operational at other courthouses:
	Aberdare magistrates court—the Rhondda Cynon Taff SDVC system will continue at Pontypridd magistrates court;
	Daventry magistrates court—the Northamptonshire SDVC system will continue at Corby, Kettering and Northampton magistrates courts;
	Goole magistrates court—the East Riding SDVC system will continue at Beverley and Bridlington magistrates courts;
	Dewsbury magistrates court—the Kirklees SDVC system will continue at Huddersfield magistrates court;
	Lewes magistrates court—the East Sussex SDVC system will continue at Hastings and Eastbourne magistrates courts;
	Pontefract magistrates court—the Wakefield SDVC system will continue at Wakefield magistrates court;
	Rugby magistrates court—the Warwickshire SDVC system will continue at Nuneaton and Stratford upon Avon magistrates courts.
	Selby magistrates court—the York and Selby SDVC system will continue at York magistrates court;
	Towcester magistrates court—the Northamptonshire SDVC system will continue at Corby, Kettering and Northampton magistrates courts;
	West Bromwich magistrates court—the Sandwell SDVC system will continue at Warley magistrates court;
	Whitehaven magistrates court—the West Cumbria SDVC system will continue at Workington magistrates court;
	Haringey magistrates court—the Haringey/Tottenham SDVC system will continue at Enfield magistrates court (to be renamed Tottenham magistrates court as of 1 January 2012).
	In the following remaining four cases, closure of the courthouse will involve the transfer of the SDVC work to a court that is currently not part of an accredited SDVC system:
	Andover magistrates court to Basingstoke magistrates court;
	Alton magistrates court to Andover magistrates court;
	Bridgwater magistrates court to Taunton magistrates court;
	Grays magistrates court to Basildon magistrates court.
	The Ministry and the SDVC National Steering Group will give consideration to whether these courts should become part of an accredited system.
	Guidance has been issued by the National Steering Group to all SDVC partnerships to assist them in adapting to the changes presented by the closure of a courthouse within the SDVC system. This is designed to ensure that all partners have been involved in the transfer process, that all operational activities are transferred to the desired location and any challenges this presents are addressed at an early stage. This will ensure a smooth transition to the revised court estate, while maintaining the high level of support for victims of domestic abuse.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many domestic violence cases were heard in each of the last three years at each of the specialist domestic violence courts scheduled for closure.

Jonathan Djanogly: Records are not kept centrally on the number of domestic violence cases heard at specialist domestic violence courts.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the savings to accrue through proposed closures of specialist domestic violence courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: Savings from court closures are accrued through the closure of a courthouse rather than the closure of any specialist domestic violence court system that may be housed at a courthouse. Savings specifically from the closure of specialist domestic violence court systems at closing courthouses have therefore not been estimated separately.
	Estimated gross savings from all court closures announced in December are in the region of £41.5 million over the spending review period. We also hope to achieve £38.5 million in receipts from the sale of assets.

Courts: Domestic Violence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the longest journey from a home address by public transport that a victim of domestic violence would have to travel to get to a specialist domestic violence court once all courts earmarked for closure have closed;
	(2)  what consideration was given to (a) the potential distance a victim of domestic violence would have to travel from a home address to reach a specialist domestic violence court, (b) concerns of such a person about travelling long distances away from home and (c) any associated concerns when determining which courts to close; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The court estate consultation response documents detail the percentage of the population in each area estimated to be within a 60-minute public transport commute of their local court, before and after closures. It is not possible to assess the particular impact on victims of specific crimes.
	Following the closure of those courts announced in December last year, there will be a SDVC at over 150 courts out of a total of 236 magistrates courts.
	The equality impact assessments (EIAs) that accompany each of the 16 former HMCS area consultation responses papers identify the potential impacts of the court estate reform programme on different communities and groups of people.

Damages

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to review the discount rate under the Damages Act 1996; what representations he has received on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor is in the process of reviewing the discount rate. In this context he has sought views from HM Treasury and the Government Actuary as required by the Damages Act 1996, and has received representations from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Association of British Insurers. In the light of the views received he has decided to conduct a wider consultation on the methodology to be used in setting the discount rate. A consultation paper will be published soon, and the review will be completed on as timely a basis as possible.

Damages: Employers’ Liability

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Annex A of the impact assessment of the cumulative jackson proposals, for what reason (a) the chart at paragraph 1.23 shows that 75 per cent. of general damages in employer liability cases are below £10,000 and 10 per cent. of such cases are between £10,000 and £20,000 and (b) the results table in Annex A shows that current average general damages in such cases is £10,436.

Jonathan Djanogly: The figures provided in the results table in Annex A of the impact assessment are average figures from the dataset analysed, which contained 5,041 employer liability cases (accident only). General damages in the dataset ranged from £1,000 to £100,000, with the mean average general damages calculated at £10,436.
	This average does not provide any detail of the distribution of these general damages; the chart at paragraph 1.23 provides further detail. There are some cases with general damages significantly above £10,000, which brings up the average, despite accounting for a small proportion of the dataset.

Damages: Employers’ Liability

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to the results table in Annex A of the impact assessment of the cumulative Jackson proposals, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the analysed figures for current average general damages and new average general damages represent damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity only and do not represent total damages or include other heads of damage; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to paragraph 1.8 of Annex A of the impact assessment of the cumulative Jackson proposals, in how many of the cases comprising the dataset the damages settlements (a) were global and (b) included damages other than pain, suffering and loss of amenity; how many such cases there were in each case category of (i) employer liability, (ii) public liability and (iii) road traffic accident; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The dataset analysed includes figures for general damages, and special damages where applicable. However, for some low value claims, the settlements may be global and so there may be negligible special damages recorded.
	The dataset received contained a split between general and special damages in all cases, and we cannot tell from the dataset whether a global settlement was made or not. Similarly, we do not hold the detail of those damages which specifically relate to pain, suffering and loss of amenity. The fact that general damages may not always equate to pain, suffering and loss of amenity is noted in paragraph 1.18, point vi).

Prisoners: Childbirth

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children were born in each prison in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of women who have given birth in prison is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as in order to provide this information staff would need to look at each individual's record.

Prisoners: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of women in prison who have one or more previous convictions had a residential address prior to imprisonment up to (a) 100, (b) 75, (c) 50 and (d) 25 miles from their present prison; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is not available. Although the Ministry of Justice publishes information on the criminal histories of female offenders in prison, the data sources used do not hold information on the distance between the home addresses of the prisoners and their current prison.

Prisons

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) target and (b) actual (i) total hours achieved per establishment and (ii) average hours achieved per inmate in respect of each of the monitored activities set out in Prison Service Orders 7100a and 7101 was in each prison establishment in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested has, where available, been placed in the Library of the House.
	It should be noted that targets for purposeful activity apply to the average hours of all purposeful activity per prisoner per week, rather than to the activities individually. Targets are available for 2002-03 to 2009-10.
	The total hours and the average hours per prisoner per week achieved for each establishment are shown for the years 2000-01 to 2009-10.
	The figures used in the answer have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Private Sector

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) operational capacity and (b) prison population was of each private sector prison on 25 March 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The operational capacity and population of each private sector prison on 25 March 2011 is set out in the following table. This information is published monthly on the MOJ website via the following link:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation
	
		
			 Operational capacity and population of private sector prisons as at  25 March 2011 
			 Establishment Operational capacity Population 
			 Altcourse 1,324 1,139 
			 Ashfield 360 357 
			 Bronzefield 527 522 
			 Doncaster 1,145 1,102 
			 Dovegate 1,135 1,109 
			 Forest Bank 1,394 1,363 
			 Lowdham Grange 930 935 
			 Parc 1,470 1,453 
			 Peterborough 1,008 980 
			 Rye Hill 625 622 
			 Wolds 395 353

DEFENCE

Air Force: Snow and Ice

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF stations in the UK have an enhanced level of snow and ice clearing equipment.

Nick Harvey: Priority for the allocation of snow and ice clearing equipment is given to main operating bases and flying establishments with a high readiness role to meet operational requirements. Those RAF stations with the highest priority for this equipment are listed alphabetically as follows:
	RAF Boulmer
	RAF Brize Norton
	RAF Coningsby
	RAF Leuchars
	RAF Lossiemouth
	RAF Lyneham
	RAF Northolt
	RAF Valley
	RAF Waddington.

Armed Forces: HIV Infection

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a diagnosis of HIV on the (a) role and duties, (b) terms of service and (c) employment prospects of a person serving in the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: Service personnel diagnosed as HIV positive are managed according to their medical condition, their treatment needs and their specific role within HM armed forces. All cases are dealt with on an individual basis and so it is not possible to predict the potential effect of a diagnosis of HIV.
	Service policy does not discriminate against individuals with HIV infection or AIDS. Personnel diagnosed as HIV positive are therefore managed in accordance with normal downgrading and subsequent employability arrangements. However, those with AIDS are normally recommended for medical discharge.

Armed Forces: Olympic Games 2012

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to assign HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion to duties supporting the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence is working with the Home Office, police and other Government Departments to identify what support the military may provide to the 2012 Olympics. Defence is currently considering requests and planning is ongoing; no decisions have yet been made regarding the use of Royal Navy vessels.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much his Department budgeted for recruitment in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on marketing for recruitment purposes in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not have a specific budget for recruitment. Budgets are delegated to Top Level Budget holders who set an estimate for recruitment spend at the beginning of each financial year.
	The following table, however, shows Ministry of Defence expenditure on advertising and marketing for recruitment purposes for the last two years as set out in our Annual Report and Accounts. This is predominantly on a national basis but may not include significant amounts of regional spend. The different ways in which each of the services carry out their activities mean that there are variations in how their data are consolidated.
	Consolidated data on marketing spend are not available prior to 2008-09.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 62.4 
			 2009-10 29.5

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions his Department applies to the recruitment to the armed forces of people diagnosed with HIV solely on the basis of their HIV-positive status.

Andrew Robathan: There is no routine pre-employment screening for HIV for individuals wishing to join the armed forces. However, those who declare a history of being HIV seropositive are unfit for entry.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel have been made redundant from each of the armed forces in each month since the date of the strategic defence and security review; and how many personnel he expects to be made redundant from each of the armed forces in each of the next 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: No service personnel have been made redundant since the date of the strategic defence and security review. At present, it is not known how many service personnel may be made redundant within the next 12 months. Those whose applications for redundancy are successful will leave after six months' notice and those selected for redundancy who did not apply will leave after 12 months' notice. The first tranche of redundancy notices will be issued on 1 September 2011 for the Army and RAF and on 30 September 2011 for the naval services. The armed forces redundancy programme is expected to deliver up to 11,000 redundancies across the three services and should be completed by 31 March 2015.

Armed Forces: Training

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department’s defence co-operation agreement with Libya includes training specialised military units; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Accord on Defence Co-operation and Defence Industrial Partnership, signed by the previous Government, with Libya in 2007, allows for a range of activities, including the training of specialised military units.
	No activity is taking place under this agreement at present. In view of the current circumstances in Libya, the agreement is effectively in suspension. Its long-term future will be determined in the light of the resolution of events in Libya.

Armed Forces: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what ground sign awareness training is conducted in (a) hybrid foundation training and (b) mission specific training.

Nick Harvey: Basic ground sign awareness training is provided as part of the initial phase training for military personnel. This is further developed in hybrid foundation and mission specific training.
	During hybrid foundation training selected students (ranked Sgt and above) from all three services who are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan complete a ground sign awareness instructor's course and are then required to cascade training to personnel in their units. Cascade training is delivered in both hybrid foundation training and the early stages of mission specific training. The latter also offers collective training opportunities to test and revise ground sign awareness, with its incorporation into a number of field exercises. Finally, these skills are refreshed again in Afghanistan as part of the Reception, Staging and Onward Integration package, which all personnel must complete before deploying on operations.

Aviation: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made on the effects on pilot training for the GR4 Tornado and Typhoon fleet of the current operational tempo.

Nick Harvey: The current operational tempo has not had an effect on pilot training for the Tornado GR4.
	Prioritising of Typhoon resources for current operations has meant that the output from the Operational Conversion Unit (where pilots are trained to operate specific aircraft types) for trainee-Typhoon pilots is temporarily reduced.
	The relationship between operational commitments, resources and training is constantly monitored.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which contracts his Department has renegotiated since May 2010; and what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department arising from each such contract renegotiation.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 9 May 2011
	Progress on the renegotiation of contracts relating to strategic defence and security review decisions has meant that from our earlier start point of 130, we are now examining in excess of 300 contracts; this is expected to increase to some 500 contracts in due course. We expect the process of renegotiating these contracts to continue into 2012.
	Initial focus has been on the contracts that will deliver the highest savings in the early years of the comprehensive spending review period. The Ministry of Defence has already renegotiated around 30 contracts relating to the Nimrod and Harrier programmes. However, I am withholding details of each specific negotiation as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much funding his Department has allocated under each budget heading to the Independent Monitoring Board for the Military Corrective Training Centre in 2011-12;
	(2)  when the Independent Monitoring Board for the Military Corrective Training Centre was established;
	(3)  how many staff of his Department are working for the Independent Monitoring Board for the Military Corrective Training Centre; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(4)  what the budget for the Independent Monitoring Board for the Military Corrective Training Centre was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how much was spent on the Board under each cost category in that period.

Andrew Robathan: The Independent Monitoring Board (formerly the Independent Board of Visitors), for the Military Corrective Training Centre Colchester, was established in 1980. The board inspect the centre at least twice a year and report their findings to Ministers. They inspect, among other things, the condition of the premises and the treatment, health and welfare of detainees. The arrangements are very similar to those in place for civilian detention facilities in the UK.
	The Ministry of Defence provides secretariat and administrative support for the Independent Monitoring Board. The board receives no direct funding from the Ministry of Defence, though travel expenses incurred by and recruitment costs of its members are funded by the Military Corrective Training Centre. Travel expenses amount to less than £3,000 per annum. Recruitment costs occur as and when vacancies arise and in 2010-11 amounted to some £2,500.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the future level of funding for the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Andrew Robathan: The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) was established in April 2009 and consists of the Royal Naval Museum; and the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Royal Marines Museum and Royal Navy Submarine Museum; the latter three are in the process of integrating into the NMRN. The aims of the NMRN are to capture the enduring spirit of the naval service, to provide a clear heritage strategy for the naval service and raise awareness of the vital contribution the naval service has made to national security and the nation's prosperity in the past and in the future.
	The currently anticipated future funding for the body for the spending review period is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2011-12 3,454,843 
			 2012-13 3,809,825 
			 2013-14 3,809,365 
			 2014-15 3,235,178

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for future funding of the National Army Museum.

Andrew Robathan: The National Army Museum was incorporated by Royal Charter on 8 April 1960. Its objectives are to educate and inform the public and members of the Army about the history and traditions of the British Army—in particular, but not exclusively, by collecting conserving, preserving, managing, exhibiting and storing documents, pictorial records, artefacts and printed materials in collection.
	On current plans, funding for the National Army Museum is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 5.6 
			 2012-13 5.7 
			 2013-14 5.9 
			 2014-15 6.0

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much funding his Department provided to the Nuclear Research Advisory Council in the last 12 months; and under what budget headings such funding was spent;
	(2)  what plans his Department has for future funding of the Nuclear Research Advisory Council;
	(3)  what the (a) purpose and (b) function is of the Nuclear Research Advisory Council;
	(4)  when the Nuclear Research Advisory Council was established;
	(5)  how many staff of his Department are employed by the Nuclear Research Advisory Council; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts.

Andrew Robathan: The Nuclear Research Advisory Council (NRAC) is an advisory non-departmental public body and, as such, does not incur expenditure on its own account. Expenditure on fees and reimbursement of travel and subsistence for the financial year 2010-11 has not yet been finalised but is estimated to be some £49,000.
	As an advisory non-departmental public body, the NRAC does not incur expenditure on its own account. Future expenditure will be incurred against any agreed programme of specific scientific advice.
	The NRAC's purpose and function is to advise Chief Scientific Advisor on the technical direction and adequacy of the UK's nuclear warhead research and capability maintenance programme, including experiments and other facilities and techniques necessary to design, manufacture, sustain and operate a UK nuclear weapon capability in the absence of underground testing. The Council also examines the UK's programme of international collaboration.
	The NRAC was established in 1996.
	The NRAC does not employ staff on its own account. The Ministry of Defence provides the support functions for the body.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff of his Department are employed by the Oil and Pipelines Agency; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(2)  how much funding his Department provided to the Oil and Pipelines Agency in the last 12 months; and under what budget headings such funding was spent;
	(3)  what plans his Department has for future levels of funding for the Oil and Pipelines Agency.

Andrew Robathan: The Oil and Pipelines Agency (OPA) is sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and is responsible for managing the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS). It oversees all aspects of the operation and maintenance of the pipeline and storage facilities, ensuring that UK military requirements for aviation fuel are met. The OPA generates the majority of its income from charges levied on commercial operators and other countries who also use the GPSS.
	The OPA is not funded by the MOD and there are no plans to change this arrangement in the future. However, the OPA charges the Department an annual fee for managing the GPSS on its behalf; this is met from income generated by the agency from other sources. In financial year 2010-11 the fee was approximately £3 million.
	Two MOD permanent civilian employees are currently seconded to the OPA for fixed terms. All costs associated with these appointments are funded by the agency.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for future levels of funding for the Royal Air Force Museum.

Andrew Robathan: The Royal Air Force Museum was established in 1963. Its purpose is to educate and inform the public and members of the Royal Air Force about the roles, history and traditions of the Royal Air Force by exhibiting aircraft and other artefacts, documents and pictorial records.
	On current plans funding for the RAF Museum is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 7.7 
			 2012-13 7.9 
			 2013-14 8.1 
			 2014-15 8.3

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the Advisory Group on Military Medicine was established;
	(2)  what the purpose and function is of the Advisory Group on Military Medicine;
	(3)  what plans he has for future levels of spending on the Advisory Group on Military Medicine;
	(4)  what the budget is for the Advisory Group on Military Medicine in each category of spending in each year of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(5)  how many staff of his Department work for the Advisory Group on Military Medicine; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts.

Andrew Robathan: The Advisory Group on Military Medicine (AGOMM) was approved by the Cabinet Office as a non-departmental public body in August 2008, continuing the work previously undertaken by the Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures (AGMC). Its purpose is to provide: independent statements on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines and medical devices that may be deployed and employed by the armed forces; specific advice on medical products that are unlicensed or Ministry of Defence intends to use for a purpose other than its licensed use; peer review research, development and acquisition programmes that will deliver future operational medical capability; and independent advice on policy, doctrine, training and practice issues.
	As an advisory non-departmental public body it will advise Ministers, but not employ staff or incur expenditure on its own account. The Surgeon General will be a member of the Executive Committee and will provide the secretariat functions for the committee from existing full time HQ Surgeon General Staff. In addition, the committee may draw on the pool of expertise found within the Ministry of Defence and other Government Departments for specific tasks.
	The total cost to the Department for work undertaken by AGOMM during the financial year 2010-11 was £5,063.73. This was broken down as follows: daily rate staff costs of £2,562.00; travel and subsistence costs of £2,501.73. It should be noted that AGOMM is scheduled to meet at least twice a year, but only met once in 2010-11. Work is currently under way to finalise the tasking arrangements for the financial year 2011-12. If AGOMM does meet twice in 2011-12 then an approximate doubling of expenditure shown for 2010-11 is expected.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors was established;
	(2)  what the purposes and function is of the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors;
	(3)  what plans he has for future levels of spending on the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors;
	(4)  what the budget was for the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors for each category of spending in 2010-11;
	(5)  how many staff of his Department work for the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts.

Andrew Robathan: The Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors was established in 1970.
	Its purpose is to hear appeals from service personnel whose applications to retire or resign from further service on the grounds of conscience have not been accepted by the service authorities.
	As the Advisory Committee only incurs expenditure when it is required to meet, there are no plans with regard to future levels of spending. The Advisory Committee does not have an annual budget and incurs expenditure only when it is required to meet. On such occasions, its costs are paid for from within the existing resources of the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s Central Legal Services budget. The most recent hearing in 2010 cost around £700, which was made up of the fees and expenses of the panel members.
	The MOD provides the secretariat function for the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors from within existing permanent staff resources.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  for what reasons he plans to abolish the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee;
	(2)  when the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee was established;
	(3)  what the purpose and function is of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee;
	(4)  what plans he has for future levels of funding for the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee;
	(5)  what the budget was for the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee for each category of spending in 2010-11;
	(6)  how many staff of his Department work for the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the right hon. Member to the statement given on 21 July 2010, Official Report, column 15WS, by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff).

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees was established;
	(2)  what the budget was for the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees in each category of spending in 2010-11;
	(3)  what plans he has for future levels of spending on the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees;
	(4)  what the purpose and function is of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees;
	(5)  how many staff of his Department work for the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts.

Andrew Robathan: 13 regional Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees (VAPCs) were established in 2010 as a 12-month pilot to build on the role of the War Pensions Committees. Their purpose is to provide advice, assistance and support to the service and ex-service community on pensions and compensation. They also provide advice and raise awareness to other public bodies and the local communities on the needs of veterans. The Ministry of Defence provides the secretariat functions for the VAPCs; this equates to 1.25 permanent staff. The annual budget for 2011-12 is £41,000 and the main items of expenditure are travel and subsistence. Members are volunteers and receive out-of-pocket expenses.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons was established;
	(2)  what the purpose and function is of the Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons;
	(3)  what the budget contribution from his Department was for the Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons under each budget heading in 2010-11;
	(4)  what plans he has for future levels of funding for the Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons;
	(5)  how many staff of his Department work for the Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts. [Official Report, 20 July 2011, Vol. 531, c. 10MC.]

Andrew Robathan: The Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons (SACMILL) was approved as a non-departmental public body in June 2009 and will be established soon. It is expected to be established later this year and it will continue the work previously undertaken by the Defence Science Advisory Council Subcommittee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons (DOMILL).
	SACMILL’s purpose will be to provide: advice on the biophysical, biomechanical, pathological and clinical aspects of generic classes of Less Lethal Weapons; independent statements on the medical implications of use of specific Less Lethal Weapons; advice on the risk of injury from specific Less Lethal Weapons systems striking specific areas of the body in a format that will assist those responsible for developing policy; and, separately, guidance to users, as well as operational users themselves in making tactical decisions.
	As an advisory non-departmental public body it will advise Ministers, but not employ staff or incur expenditure on its own account. The Surgeon General will be a member of the Executive Committee and will provide the secretariat functions for the committee from existing full-time HQ Surgeon General Staff. In addition, the committee may draw on the pool of expertise found within the Ministry of Defence and other Government Departments for specific tasks.
	The total cost to the Department for DOMILL legacy work undertaken during the financial year 2010-11 was £39,355.56, principally for travel and subsistence costs. Work is currently under way to finalise the tasking arrangements for the financial year 2011-12; a similar level of expenditure as the previous year is expected.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the Review Board for Government Contracts was established;
	(2)  what the purpose and function is of the Review Board for Government Contracts;
	(3)  what plans his Department has for future expenditure on the Review Board for Government Contracts;
	(4)  how many staff of his Department are employed by the Review Board for Government Contracts; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(5)  what his Department's budget for the Review Board for Government Contracts was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how much was spent on the Board under each cost category in that period.

Andrew Robathan: The Review Board for Government Contracts was established in 1968.
	The primary purpose of the Review Board is regularly to review and maintain the Government Profit Formula used by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) when pricing single source work. A second function of the Review Board is to review the price of individual contracts which are referred to it under contract conditions, by one or both parties to the contract.
	The arrangements for single source pricing—which include the role of the Review Board—are currently the subject of an independent review by Lord Currie of Marylebone 26 January 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column 11WS. Until such time as any changes in the current arrangements are accepted and implemented the Government have stated that they expect the Review Board to continue in its current role.
	Under the terms of the 1968 Agreement establishing the Review Board, its Secretariat is provided
	“by the engagement of a firm of professional accountants”.
	The requirement for secretariat services to the board is periodically advertised under competitive tender processes and is currently provided by Deloitte LLP.
	No members of MOD staff are permanently or temporarily employed by the Review Board for Government Contracts.
	In 2010-11 the Review Board incurred the following costs (figures include estimated accrued costs of £93,000 for March 2011):
	
		
			 Item £000 
			 Review Board—Chairman and Members (4) fees 43 
			 Travel and subsistence 18 
			 Secretariat costs (Deloitte LLP) to support the Board's 2011 Annual Review of the Government Profit Formula 207 
			 Sub-total 268 
			 Additional Secretariat costs (Deloitte LLP)—to support the Review Board consideration of the MOD contract referral 666 
			 Total 934 
		
	
	The additional costs of the board's consideration of the MOD contract referral were covered from within the Director General Defence Commercial overall budget provision.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff of his Department are assigned to the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(2)  what the (a) purpose and (b) functions are of the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee;
	(3)  on what date the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee was established;
	(4)  what plans his Department has for future expenditure on the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee;
	(5)  what his Department's budget for the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how much was spent on the Committee under each cost category in that period.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Nuclear Safety Committee (DNSC) is an advisory non-departmental public body and, as such, it does not employ staff on its own account. The Ministry of Defence provides the support functions for the body.
	The DNSC does not incur expenditure on its own account. Expenditure on fees and reimbursement of travel and subsistence for the financial year 2010-11 is estimated to be some £65,000. Future expenditure will be incurred against any agreed programme of specific advice.
	The DNSC's purpose and functions are to advise the Secretary of State for Defence on all safety matters pertaining to the naval nuclear propulsion plant and nuclear weapon systems, including related issues of design, development, manufacture, storage, in-service support, handling, transport, operational training, support facilities and capabilities, the safety of workers and the public.
	The DNSC was established in 1999.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff of his Department are employed by the Defence Scientific Advisory Council; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(2)  what plans his Department has for future expenditure on the Defence Scientific Advisory Council;
	(3)  what the (a) purpose and (b) functions are of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council;
	(4)  on what date the Defence Scientific Advisory Council was established;
	(5)  what his Department's budget for the Defence Scientific Advisory Council was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how much was spent on the Council under each cost category in that period.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC) is an advisory non-departmental public body and as such it does not employ staff on its own account. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides the secretariat functions for the body.
	DSAC does not incur expenditure on its own account. However, we estimate that expenditure on fees, and travel and subsistence reimbursement came to about £170,000 in the financial year 2010-11. However, future MOD expenditure may be incurred depending on any specific scientific requirement identified.
	DSAC provides the MOD's main source of independent scientific advice on non-nuclear science, engineering technology and analysis issues.
	DSAC was established on 1 April 1969, but its antecedents go back to 1940 in the form of the Advisory Council on Scientific Research and Technical Development which reported to the Minister of Supply.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what date the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation was established;
	(2)  how many staff of his Department are assigned to the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(3)  what the (a) purpose and (b) functions are of the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation;
	(4)  what plans his Department has for future expenditure on the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation;
	(5)  what his Department's budget for the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how much was spent on the Committee under each cost category in that period.

Andrew Robathan: The Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation was established in 1921 under the War Pensions Act. Its purpose is to give service, ex-service and voluntary organisations a forum in which they can consult with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on pension and compensation issues. The MOD provides the secretariat functions for the body at no additional cost to the MOD.

Departmental Public Bodies

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff of his Department are engaged by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body; and how many such staff are on (a) temporary and (b) permanent contracts;
	(2)  what plans his Department has for future expenditure on the Armed Forces Pay Review Body;
	(3)  what the (a) purpose and (b) functions are of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body;
	(4)  on what date the Armed Forces Pay Review Body was established;
	(5)  what his Department's budget for the Armed Forces Pay Review Body was in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how much was spent on the Body under each cost category in that period.

Andrew Robathan: The Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) was established in 1971. Its purpose is to provide independent advice to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence on the remuneration and charges for members of the Naval, Military and Air Forces of the Crown. The Office of Manpower Economics (within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) provides the secretariat function. The 2011-12 Ministry of Defence budget for AFPRB activity is £88,920; the main items of expenditure are AFPRB member salaries (£66,750) and the production of the AFPRB Report (£8,572). The future funding for the body for the spending review period is expected to be in line with that for the current financial year.

Departmental Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the staff vacancy rate in his Department was in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in his Department's budget for 2011-12.

Andrew Robathan: In financial year 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) advertised 4,940 vacancies internally to its own staff and 1,040 vacancies externally to other Departments and the general public (both totals rounded to the nearest 10). There has been a freeze on external recruitment to the MOD since May 2010, other than for business critical posts, such as those in direct support of operations, apprenticeships, fast stream and specialist graduates and posts paid for in full by other parties (for example United States visiting forces and NATO support facilities). There is no central planning assumption on staff vacancy rate for civil service staff in the MOD.

Electronic Warfare

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding his Department has allocated to the prevention of cyber attacks by the Stuxnet computer virus.

Nick Harvey: The Department has procedural and physical measures in place to protect against and mitigate the impact of cyber attack. We do not comment on the specific detail of cyber security incidents or threat assessments.
	The Department reviews the adequacy of its overall protection on an annual basis to inform its planning round process.

Ex-servicemen: Radiation

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to investigate the health effects of nuclear test veterans' exposure to ionising radiation on their offspring.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has placed a £75,000 contract to take forward a health needs audit of nuclear test veterans. The audit is in line with a wider NHS commitment to improve access and support in relation to the health needs of all veterans in the UK and will gather and record the direct experience and views of nuclear test veterans about their health and social care needs. Veterans have had the ability to input any concerns they have had including about their children during the study, which is due to be completed in the summer.

Ex-servicemen: Radiation

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has assessed the merits of extending the entitlement criteria applying to the war pension scheme to include radiation-linked diseases other than leukaemia.

Andrew Robathan: Published peer-reviewed medical and scientific literature is routinely screened to ensure medically sound decisions under the war pensions scheme are made, and where appropriate entitlement policy and practice is amended. To date this scrutiny does not suggest any extension of entitlement criteria for nuclear test veterans is appropriate.

Foreign Relations

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from (i) Tunisia, (ii) Libya, (iii) Kuwait and (iv) Saudi Arabia since January 2010;
	(2)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from (i) Syria, (ii) Yemen, (iii) Qatar and (iv) Egypt since January 2010;
	(3)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from (i) Lebanon, (ii) Israel, (iii) Nigeria and (iv) Uzbekistan since January 2010;
	(4)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from (i) Guinea, (ii) Turkey, (iii) United Arab Emirates and (iv) Chad since January 2010;
	(5)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from (i) Burundi, (ii) Kenya, (iii) Sudan and (iv) Zimbabwe since January 2010;
	(6)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from Bahrain since January 2008;
	(7)  on what occasions (a) officials, (b) Ministers and (c) military personnel in his Department have met their counterparts from (i) Iraq, (ii) Ivory Coast, (iii) Liberia and (iv) Burkina Faso since January 2010.

Nick Harvey: Organised bilateral meetings have taken place between Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministers and personnel with the countries specified in the following table, to 31 March 2011. Not all the information requested is available centrally.
	‘Senior visits’ refer to three and four-star officials and officers other than the Chief of the Defence Staff; “working visits” are at lower levels. The occasion of a single visit may involve several engagements with a range of counterparts.
	This list excludes contacts by or with Defence Attachés and advisers; operational deployments; permanently deployed training and loan service personnel; training conducted in the UK or overseas; Directorate General Saudi Armed Forces Projects; contacts involving MOD personnel attached to international institutions, such as the UN; and contacts at multilateral events such as conferences, exhibitions and seminars.
	
		
			  Ministerial visits CDS visits Other senior visits Working visits Staff talks and strategic dialogues 
			 Tunisia — — — — — 
			 Libya To UK July 2010 — — Yes — 
			 Kuwait March 2010, February 2011; to UK October 2010 — — — May 2010 
			 Saudi Arabia September 2010, December 2010 — Yes — March 2010 
			 Syria — — — — — 
			 Yemen Presidential visit to UK August 2010 — Yes — — 
			 Qatar November 2010, March 2011; state visit to UK October 2010 — Yes — October 2010 
			 Egypt — — — — December 2010 
			 Lebanon To UK November 2010 — Yes — — 
			 Israel February 2011; to UK March 2011 — — — March 2010 
			 Nigeria — — — Yes — 
			 Uzbekistan — — — Yes — 
			 Afghanistan To UK January 2010 (1)— (1)— (1)— — 
			 Burma — — — — — 
			 Rwanda — February 2011 — — — 
			 Somalia — — — Yes — 
			 Guinea — — — — — 
			 Turkey February 2010, January 2011; to UK July 2010 — — Yes March 2010 
			 UAE State visit November 2010, June 2010, February, April 2011; to UK October 2010 — Yes Yes — 
			 Chad — — — — — 
			 Burundi — — — — — 
			 Kenya December 2010; to UK February 2011 February 2011 Yes Yes March 2011 
			 Sudan — — — Yes — 
			 Zimbabwe — — — — — 
			 Bahrain December 2008, December 2009, May 2010, November 2010, December 2010, January 2011, February 2011; to UK November 2008, November 2010 — Yes — May 2008, October 2009 
			 Iraq March 2010 — Yes Yes — 
			 Ivory Coast — — — — — 
			 Liberia — — — — — 
			 Burkina Faso — — — — — 
			 (1 )Multiple other ministerial, senior and working visits.

HMS Albion

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to place HMS Albion into extended readiness.

Nick Harvey: On current plans HMS Albion will begin her period of extended readiness in late 2011, at which point HMS Bulwark will become the high readiness landing platform dock.

HMS Albion

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution (a) HMS Albion and (b) HMS Ocean has made to the Royal Navy's Response Force Task Group; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The Royal Navy's Response Force Task Group is a new initiative announced in last year's strategic defence and security review (SDSR) and Cougar 11 is its first deployment. HMS Albion and HMS Ocean as with all other units on this deployment have been developing, through force generation and collective training, contingent capability in their respective roles as the landing platform dock and landing platform helicopter.

HMS Liverpool

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decommissioning date he has set for HMS Liverpool.

Nick Harvey: On current plans, HMS Liverpool will be withdrawn from service in 2012.

Navy: Olympic Games 2012

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Royal Navy vessels to be used to provide office and control centre accommodation for the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working with the Home Office, police and other Government Departments to identify what support the military may provide to the 2012 Olympics. The MOD is currently considering requests and planning is ongoing; no decisions have yet been made regarding the use of Royal Navy vessels.

Navy: Training

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the results of the Naval Review of Training; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 9 May 2011
	As part of the continued drive to deliver more effective and efficient training, the Navy Board has endorsed a new training regime: Initial Naval Training (INT). The INT is a common package of core naval training but with separate officer and rating classes to enhance levels of individual capability and to meet the needs of the modern, adaptable Navy.
	The first 10-week INT course for ratings will commence on 8 May 2011, with the officers’ INT course beginning in January 2012.

Nuclear Submarines

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when research and development work for the PWR2b type reactor was initiated;
	(2)  what studies have been carried out into the use of the PWR2b type reactor for later submarines in the Astute class; and when such studies were initiated;
	(3)  on what date the safety of UK nuclear submarines was first benchmarked against (a) relevant civil nuclear practice and (b) US Navy practice;
	(4)  what assessment the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has made of the capability of a PWR2b plant for the Trident replacement submarines to deliver emergency core cooling through direct head injection in dealing with a loss of coolant accident;
	(5)  what assessment the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator has made of the capacity of a PWR2b plant to demonstrate relevant good practice in responding to a loss of coolant accident;
	(6)  whether the ability of the PWR2b and PWR3 plants to deal with a loss of coolant accident has yet been reviewed sufficiently to satisfy a decision for the initial gate business case;
	(7)  whether a formal presentation of (a) the safety analysis and arguments for a PWR2b plant and (b) the associated cost and schedule risk have yet been made to the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator;
	(8)  if he will publish the analysis of the (a) PWR2b and (b) PWR3 design concepts for the Trident replacement submarines as part of the initial gate business case;
	(9)  what assessment he has made in the reduction of risk with regard to (a) control of submarine depth and (b) a loss of coolant accident from a (i) PWR2b and (ii) PWR3 propulsion system for the Trident replacement submarine.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The Ministry of Defence has maintained a continuous research and technology development programme that delivers improvements to safety, as well as other aspects of reactor plant performance, for nuclear submarines that are currently being operated or built for the Royal Navy, as well as enabling the design of future nuclear reactor plants.
	Regular detailed scrutiny of submarine reactor plant safety is conducted by expert personnel from within the Ministry of Defence, including the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator and the Health and Safety Executive's Office of Nuclear Regulation and by independent nuclear safety assessors to ensure safety is benchmarked against national and internationally accepted standards.
	For reasons of security, I do not intend to go into further detail about specific aspects of nuclear submarine reactor plant design, or what specific assessments have, or will be undertaken for future reactor plant designs. However, all such considerations are subject to a rigorous assessment against principles that are consistent with those applied across all UK nuclear reactor programmes, of which safety is a paramount consideration. These principles are embodied within the Health and Safety Executive's Safety Assessment Principles, which were adopted by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator during 2007-08.

Warships

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the composition of the Cougar deployment is; and what its mission is.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 9 May 2011
	Cougar is the 2011 deployment of the Response Force Task Group (RFTG) and is composed of HMS Albion, HMS Ocean, HMS Liverpool, HMS Sutherland, RFA Wave Knight, RFA Cardigan Bay, RFA Fort Rosalie and RFA Mounts Bay, together with embarked Royal Marine commandos and air assets comprising five Lynx, seven Sea King and three Apache.
	This long planned exercise will develop the RFTG through force generation and collective training, to demonstrate contingent capability and to develop relationships with regional partners in support of Defence objectives.

TREASURY

Double-dip Recession

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent assessment is of the likelihood of a double-dip recession.

Danny Alexander: The UK returned to positive growth in the first quarter of this year. The Government have always said the recovery will be choppy. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility and all other credible forecasters, including the NIESR who released forecasts just last week, are very clear that the UK recovery will continue.

Economic Growth

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of changes in the outlook for economic growth since the assessment made as part of the comprehensive spending review.

David Gauke: The Government's economic policy objective is to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries. The economic forecasts published at Budget by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) take full account of the policy measures announced in both the spending review and the Budget published in March of this year. The OBR forecasts the economy to grow throughout 2011 and in every year of the forecast.

Economic Growth

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in the level of economic growth in the last two quarters.

David Gauke: Manufacturing is growing strongly, the economy has created thousands of jobs since the turn of the year and borrowing is down. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility and all other credible forecasters, including NIESR whose forecast was released just last week, are very clear that the UK recovery will continue.

Economic Growth

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of changes in the outlook for economic growth since May 2010.

David Gauke: The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries. The economic forecasts published at Budget by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) take full account of the policy measures announced in both the spending review and the Budget published in March of this year. The OBR forecasts the economy to grow throughout 2011 and in every year of the forecast.

Economic Growth

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in the level of economic growth in the last two quarters.

Justine Greening: The economy has returned to growth. Manufacturing is growing strongly, the economy has created thousands of jobs and borrowing is down. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility and other credible forecasters, including NIESR whose forecast was released just last week, are very clear that the UK recovery will continue.

EU Budget 2012

Bob Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposals for the EU budget for 2012.

Justine Greening: The Government have been clear that a 4.9% increase in EU spending in 2012, proposed by the Commission, is unacceptable. The letter signed by the UK, France, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands in December last year clearly states that growth in EU spending in 2012 must be curbed. The Government will work with other member states to deliver the best possible outcome for UK taxpayers in future negotiations.

Working Tax Credit

Nick Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families who earn less than £30,000 a year who will have their income reduced as a result of changes to the working tax credit.

Justine Greening: Given the interaction of tax credit measures with other benefits, it is the overall impact of measures that is important for a household.
	At Budget 2011 the Government published detailed distributional analysis of the impacts of its decisions. Looking at the cumulative impact of tax, tax credit and benefit reforms introduced at the last Budget and previous fiscal events, the top decile sees the largest losses.
	This is the case across the income distribution, in both cash terms (Chart A.2) and as a proportion of net income (Chart A.3). It is also the case across the expenditure distribution, in cash terms (Chart A.4) and as a proportion of expenditure (Chart A.5).

Child Poverty

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the OECD on the effects of his Department's fiscal policies on levels of child poverty.

Justine Greening: The Minister for Employment attended the OECD Social Policy ministerial meeting on 2 May where child poverty was discussed.
	The 2011 Budget confirmed that the Government's modelled tax and welfare reforms could reduce relative child poverty by up to 50,000 over the next two years.
	However, poverty is about more than just income. The reforms announced by this Government are about tackling the causes of poverty and will increase fairness and improve work incentives.

Public Sector Borrowing Requirement

Claire Perry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the size of the public sector borrowing requirement.

Justine Greening: The Public Sector Finances first release published by the Office for National Statistics estimates that the first provisional outturn for public sector net borrowing in 2010-11 is £141.1 billion or 9.6% of GDP, this is £15 billion lower than 2009-10.
	In March 2011 the independent Office for Budget Responsibility forecast public sector net borrowing to 2015-16. This forecast is available at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2011

Bank Lending

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of trends in levels of bank lending to small businesses.

Mark Hoban: Overall repayment of debt by small businesses is running ahead of lending to the same sector. As a consequence, net lending fell in the first quarter of this year. However, the availability of credit to business in the same period increased.

Child Benefit

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants there are of child benefit in (a) the UK and (b) England.

David Gauke: At August 2010 there were 7,841,675 households in the UK that receive child benefit, of which 6,562,705 were in England.
	The latest information on the number of families receiving child benefit, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region is available in the HMRC snapshot publication “Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis. August 2010”. This can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/chb-geog-aug10.pdf

Child Benefit

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants of child benefit in England are in receipt of that benefit in respect of (a) two, (b) three and (c) more than three children.

David Gauke: The following table shows the information requested:
	
		
			  Households in receipt of child benefit in England 
			 One child 3,051,980 
			 Two children 2,473,415 
			 Three children 761,550 
			 Four or more children 275,765 
			 Total 6,562,705 
			 Note: The figures have been independently rounded to the nearest five. This can lead to components not summing to totals as shown. 
		
	
	The latest information on the number of families receiving child benefit, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region is available in the HMRC snapshot publication “Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis. August 2010”. This can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/chb-geog-aug10.pdf

Departmental Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be spent on staff pensions in each of the next five years.

Justine Greening: The Department does not publish forecasts of pay-related spending for future years.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 14 March 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms J. Lambert.

Justine Greening: I wrote to all Members on 4 April 2011 to set out the Government's position on fuel duty and motoring following the Budget in order to respond to correspondence that hon. Members have raised on that topic.

Renewable Energy: Finance

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes to include the energy companies’ obligation in the cap on the impact of levy-funded support on energy bills described in paragraph 2.159 of “The Plan for Growth”.

Justine Greening: The new control framework for DECC levy-funded spending covers DECC's policies that entail levy-funded spending and that are classified by the Office for National Statistics as tax and spend for National Accounts purposes.
	If other DECC policies are classified by the Office for National Statistics as tax and spend and yet are deficit neutral then they will fall within the control framework. The energy company obligation will be included if it is classified as such.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what definition of a green tax his Department uses.

Justine Greening: The Government are currently reviewing what taxes are classified as environmental. Once this work concludes a statement will be placed in the House Library.

Whisky: Scotland

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value to the UK economy of overseas sales in the whisky industry in Scotland.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	According to Overseas Trade Statistics data published by HM Revenue and Customs, UK exports of whisky (SITC 11241) totalled £3,520 million in 2010. Of this, about £72 million was not Scotch.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he made of the implications for human rights of the Clean Development Mechanism projects (a) augan biogas recovery from palm oil mill effluent ponds and biogas utilisation and (b) lean biogas recovery from palm oil mill effluent ponds and biogas/biomass utilisation prior to authorising the purchase of credits from each project.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is aware of the allegations in respect of these projects and has written to the CDM Executive Board to request a robust investigation. Of the two projects mentioned in recent representations by Biofuelwatch, the UK Government have issued only a Letter of Authorisation (LoA) in respect of the participation of EDF Trading Ltd in the augan biogas recovery project (CDM reference number 3197). The lean biogas recovery project was not authorised by the UK.
	When assessing the augan project the standard procedures for dealing with applications seeking UK authorisation of companies’ participation in CDM projects were followed. These require the applicant to submit documentation including a letter of approval from the Honduran Government stating that the project contributes to sustainable development alongside a declaration that all documentation is correct. On the basis of these assurances, a letter of authorisation was issued to EDF Trading Ltd based on these assurances on 3 June 2009, prior to the events recounted in the allegations. We understand that EDF energy has since withdrawn from participation in the project.
	The final assessment of whether any CDM project is compliant with CDM rules lies with the CDM Executive Board, which is currently reviewing the status of the augan project.

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received on the (a) augan biogas recovery from palm oil mill effluent ponds and biogas utilisation and (b) lean biogas recovery from palm oil mill effluent ponds and biogas/biomass utilisation project under the Clean Development Mechanism; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The allegations of human rights abuses in connection with these two projects were first brought to the attention of the Secretary of State on 4 February 2011, when a letter of protest was received from a coalition of NGOs led by Biofuelwatch. This was followed in early April by a mass e-mail campaign.
	The allegations are plainly deplorable. Consequently the Secretary of State wrote to number of relevant organisations and responsible bodies, expressing his concern and requesting further information. These organisations included the Honduran authorities, the CDM Executive Board and the UK authorised project participant, EDF Trading Ltd. The Secretary of State also asked the Executive Board to assess whether the project meets CDM rules and to deal with the human rights allegations in so far as they are able.
	EDF Trading Ltd has recently announced that it is terminating its involvement in the two projects. Of the two projects EDF had received only a UK Letter of Authorisation (LoA) for one: the augan biogas recovery project. Since the UK LoA was valid for use only by EDF, the termination of its involvement in the project effectively renders the letter defunct.

Energy Supply

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many instances his Department and its predecessors have recorded of transfers between energy suppliers made in error and without the customer's consent in each of the last five years.

Charles Hendry: DECC does not hold the information requested. To meet its principal duty to protect the interests of consumers, Ofgem collects data on a range of issues, including erroneous transfers. Whilst Ofgem does not publish these data it has statutory powers to take action to address market issues where it feels such action is required.
	Erroneous transfers of energy supplies most commonly occur because of administrative or data error on the part of the supplier. Since 2009, the big six suppliers have operated the “Peace of Mind Guarantee”, which sets out the process customers who have been affected by an erroneous transfer can expect to rectify the error. The guarantee was designed to ensure mistakes are corrected quickly and with as little inconvenience to the consumer as possible.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how much has been paid to each individual law firm from the Coal Health Compensation scheme in respect of cases of (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder to date;
	(2)  how much has been paid to each individual law firm under the Coal Health Compensation scheme in respect of claims for cases of (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from each constituency to date;
	(3)  how many claims for compensation for (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease under the Coal Health Compensation scheme have been received from each law firm to date.

Charles Hendry: Tables showing the number of claims received and costs paid as at December 2010 to claimants' solicitors handling claims under the Coal Health Compensation schemes for vibration white finger (VWF) and for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be made available in the Libraries of the House, which will provide breakdown by legal firm and the total amount paid to each firm.
	We do not have the costs for individual law firms broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much compensation has been awarded under the Coal Health Compensation scheme for cases of (a) vibration white finger and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to recipients in each constituency to date.

Charles Hendry: The amount of compensation awarded as at April 2011 under the Coal Health Compensation schemes for vibration white finger (VWF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is shown in the tables which will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many claims for vibration white finger under the Coal Health Compensation scheme received (a) from North Durham constituency and (b) nationally have been processed to date;
	(2)  how many claims under the Coal Health Compensation scheme for vibration white finger (a) received from North Durham constituency and (b) nationally are outstanding;
	(3)  how many claims under the Coal Health Compensation scheme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease received (a) from North Durham constituency and (b) nationally are outstanding;
	(4)  how many claims under the Coal Health Compensation scheme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease received (a) from North Durham constituency and (b) nationally have been processed to date.

Charles Hendry: The following table shows the number of scheme claims received and processed for North Durham and nationally for vibration white finger (VWF) and for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as at April 2011. There are no outstanding claims for North Durham.
	
		
			 Number 
			  Claims received North Durham Claims settled North Durham Total claims received Total claims settled Compensation claims outstanding 
			 COPD 6,587 6,587 591,768 591,738 (1)30 
			 VWF 642 642 169,611 (2)169,611 0 
			 Total 7,229 7,229 761,379 761,349 30 
			 (1) For the COPD scheme, there are only three claimants awaiting an offer or denial.  (2) All scheme VWF compensation claims have been settled. There are two claims of which solicitors’ costs are yet to be paid.

Oil: Refineries

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the measures contained in Budget 2011 on the UK downstream oil industry, including refining.

Charles Hendry: HM Treasury is responsible for budgetary policy and has confirmed that its sectoral analysis did not suggest a significant impact. DECC has not made a separate detailed assessment but our work suggests that the economics of oil refining should not be affected by taxation changes on North sea oil production. Businesses, including the downstream oil industry, have been supported by the 2% reduction in corporation tax this April.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis was for the decision to cap expenditure on the feed-in tariff scheme as part of the comprehensive spending review; and for what reason the decision was taken.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
	Feed-in tariffs entail levy-funded spending and are classified by the Office for National Statistics as tax and spend for National Accounts purposes. They add to total tax and spending levels and impose costs on household and business energy bills. It is therefore important that these impacts are controlled.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on levels of antisocial behaviour; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office receives numerous representations from members of the public who are concerned about the levels of antisocial behaviour in their area. That is why, on 7 February, we published the consultation document “More effective responses to antisocial behaviour”. It sets out the Government's proposals to streamline and improve the toolkit available to the police and their local partners to deal with antisocial behaviour, as a key part of wider reforms that will make agencies more accountable to the public for the way they respond to local crime and policing priorities. The consultation runs until 17 May.

Asylum

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of (a) providing accommodation and support to asylum seekers, (b) processing asylum applications and (c) deporting unsuccessful asylum seekers in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The cost of providing accommodation and support to asylum seekers in each of the last three years is given in the following table. It is not possible to provide the cost of processing asylum applications without incurring disproportionate cost.
	It is also not possible to provide the cost of deporting asylum seekers as the UK Border Agency does not record these costs separately. The National Audit Office report “Management of Asylum Applications by the UK Border Agency”, published on 23 January 2009 and available to view at:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/management_of_asylum_appl.aspx
	provides a range of upper- and lower-end cost estimates for people who are detained or removed in different circumstances (for example, for a single undetained adult who is removed after exhausting his/her appeal rights, the process will cost between £7,900 and £17,000 excluding accommodation and support costs, and between £12,000 and £25,600 including accommodation and support costs). A copy of this report is available in the House Library.
	
		
			 Cost of accommodation and support for asylum-seekers 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Initial accommodation 19.0 14.9 8.5 
			 Dispersed accommodation 127.8 123.0 99.7 
			 Section 4 support 90.8 101.9 55.7 
			 Cash support 69.0 68.1 55.6 
			 Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking children 142.1 150.7 114.9 
			 One-Stop Service — 10.1 10.2 
			 Wraparound — — 4.1 
			 Total 448.7 468.7 348.7 
			 Note: The figures for 2010-11 are unaudited and are subject to possible adjustment. Figures-for 2008-09 and 2009-10 are taken from the audited accounts of the UK Border Agency.

Asylum

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2011, Official Report, column 312W, on asylum, in which month of 2011 the UK Border Agency expects to conclude the backlog of legacy asylum claims; and what instructions have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on how to respond to enquiries by claimants on the conclusion of their claims.

Damian Green: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The UK Border Agency provides regular updates on performance of the “legacy” cases, including a breakdown into grants, removals and “other” cases such as duplicates or errors, to the Home Affairs Select Committee.
	On 2 March, the Agency reported to the Home Affairs Select Committee that it had concluded over 403,000 cases as at 31 January 2011.
	The UK Border Agency has completed its review of all the outstanding “legacy” cases. A small unit has been set up in the north-west region. This will continue concluding those cases that have been reviewed but not concluded. They will also monitor the controlled archive and take forward any cases that should come to light. Claimants have details of the case team dealing with their application. To improve the service that the UK Border Agency provides whilst minimising the impact of calls on productivity, claimants can contact the case team in writing or via a dedicated e-mail inbox with enquiries relating to their claims.

Asylum

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) applied for asylum, (b) were granted asylum on initial decision, (c) were granted exceptional leave to remain on initial decision, (d) were granted humanitarian protection on initial decision, (e) were granted discretionary leave to remain on initial decision, (f) were refused either asylum, exceptional leave to remain, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain on initial decision, (g) appealed their initial decision, (h) were granted asylum on appeal, (i) were granted some form of protection after appeal, (j) were refused asylum or other protection after appeal, (k) were the subject of enforced removals, (l) were the subject of notified voluntary departures, (m) were the subject of assisted voluntary returns and (n) were former asylum seekers who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Damian Green: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The number of people who applied for asylum, were granted asylum on initial decision, were granted exceptional leave to remain on initial decision, were granted humanitarian protection on initial decision, were granted discretionary leave to remain on initial decision, were refused asylum, exceptional leave to remain, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain on initial decision—(a) to (f)—is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions  (1,)  ()  (2)   1997 to 2010 
			 Number of principal applicants 
			   Initial decisions 
			    Cases considered under normal procedures 
			   Total initial decisions     Refusals 
			  Total applications  Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain Not recognised as a refugee but granted humanitarian protection Not recognised as a refugee but granted discretionary leave Total refused 
			 1997 32,500 36,045 3,985 3,115 n/a n/a 28,945 
		
	
	
		
			 1998 46,015 31,570 5,345 3,910 n/a n/a 22,315 
			 1999 71,160 33,720 7,815 2,465 n/a n/a 11,025 
			 2000 80,315 109,205 10,375 11,495 n/a n/a 75,680 
			 2001 71,025 120,950 11,450 20,190 n/a n/a 89,310 
			 2002 84,130 83,540 8,270 20,135 n/a n/a 55,130 
			 2003 49,405 64,940 3,865 3,975 140 3,095 53,865 
			 2004 33,960 46,020 1,565 n/a 160 3,835 40,465 
			 2005 25,710 27,395 1,940 n/a 120 2,675 22,655 
			 2005 23,610 20,930 2,170 n/a 55 2,245 16,460 
			 2007 23,430 21,775 3,545 n/a 125 2,075 16,030 
			 2008 25,930 19,400 3,725 n/a 95 2,075 13,505 
			 2009(3) 24,485 24,285 4,190 n/a 95 2,460 17,545 
			 2010(3) 17,790 20,645 3,480 n/a 90 1,620 15,455 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest five ( * = one or two). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (3) Provisional figures. 
		
	
	The number of people who appealed their decision, were allowed at appeal, were dismissed at appeal—(g) to (j)—is provided in the following table. Information on whether the applicant was granted asylum or some other form of protection at appeal is unavailable and would be available only on examination of individual records at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			 Asylum appeals received and determined at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal/First-tier Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber  (1, )  (2)  , excluding dependants, 1997 to 2010 
			 Number principal applicants 
			    Appeals determined  (3) 
			  Appeals by the Home Office  (4) Appeals received by the IAA/AIT  (5) Total determined  (5) Total allowed  (9) Total dismissed  (9) Total withdrawn  (6)  (,)  (9) 
			 1997 20,950 22,385 21,090 1,180 18,145 1,720 
			 1998 14,320 15,440 25,320 2,355 21,195 1,770 
			 1999 6,615 7,775 19,460 5,280 11,135 3,050 
			 2000 46,190 28,935 19,395 3,340 15,580 475 
			 2001 74,365 47,905 43,415 8,155 34,440 825 
			 2002 51,695 64,125 64,405 13,875 48,845 1,685 
			 2003 46,130 70,575 81,725 16,070 63,810 1,845 
			 2004 35,110 47,000 55,975 10,845 43,760 1,370 
			 2005 4,935 24,835 33,440 5,605 26,555 1,285 
			 2006 n/a 14,920 15,955 3,540 11,595 820 
			 2007 n/a 14,060 14,945 3,385 10,735 825 
			 2008 n/a 10,660 10,720 2,475 7,585 650 
			 2009(7) n/a 15,420 14,610 4,150 9,675 780 
			 2010(7,8) n/a 16,170 17,930 4,835 12,090 1,010 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest five (— = 0; * = one or two) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) The Tribunals Service Immigration and Asylum (TSIA), consisting of the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTTIAC and UTIAC) replaced the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) on 15 February 2010. All figures for appeals determined are cases dealt with by immigration judges at the AIT or FTTIAC. (3) All figures for appeals determined are cases dealt with by adjudicators/judges at the IAA or AIT. (4) Data for 2000 are based on manual counts of data received in the Appeals Support Section of the Home Office. Some cases were received elsewhere in the Home Office before being forwarded to ASS and so may be counted at a later date than when they arrived in the Home Office. Figures for 1997 to March 2005 are based on Immigration and Nationality Directorate electronic sources. From April 2005 appeals are lodged directly with the AIT. (5) Based on information supplied by the Ministry of Justice. “Appeals received” data include some cases lodged at the Home Office and transferred to the AIT/FTTIAC. The data also include a small number of cases initially flagged as being potentially invalid or out of time for which the papers were examined by an immigration judge and determined to be valid and/or in-time. These cases then proceed through the appeal system. (6) Figures include cases withdrawn by the Home Office, as well as those withdrawn by the appellant. (7) Provisional figures. (8) Provisional management information supplied by the Ministry of Justice. (9) Estimated figures (to March 2005). Sources: Prior to April 2005: Presenting Officers Unit, Home Office; from April 2005: Ministry of Justice, Determinations do not necessarily relate to appeals received in the same period. 
		
	
	The number of removals and voluntary departures from the UK of principal asylum applicants, broken down by type of departure—(k) to (n)—is provided in the following table. It is not possible to provide the exact split requested; in line with published statistics, “enforced removals” and “notified voluntary departures” have been grouped together.
	
		
			 Removals and voluntary departures  (1,2 )  of principal asylum cases, by type, 1997 to 2010 
			 Number of departures  (3) 
			  Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures  (4,5) Assisted voluntary returns  (6) Other voluntary departures  (7) Total principal asylum cases 
			 1997 7,165 n/a n/a 7,165 
			 1998 6,990 n/a n/a 6,990 
			 1999 7,615 50 n/a 7,665 
			 2000 8,430 550 n/a 8,980 
			 2001 8,305 980 n/a 9,285 
			 2002 9,845 895 n/a 10,740 
			 2003 11,250 1,755 n/a 13,005 
			 2004 10,300 2,300 n/a 12,595 
			 2005 10,355 2,905 465 13,730 
			 2006 10,330 4,630 1,370 16,330 
			 2007 8,140 2,540 2,025 12,705 
			 2008 7,290 2,455 2,300 12,040 
			 2009(8) 6,420 2,830 1,685 10,935 
			 2010(8) 6,120 2,480 770 9,375 
			 n/a = not applicable (1 )Figures are rounded to the nearest five and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Figures exclude dependants. (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (4) Due to a reclassification of removal categories, figures include asylum removals which have been performed by enforcement officers using port powers of removal and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. (5) Since October 2006, figures include persons leaving under facilitated return schemes. (6) Since January 1999, persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some cases leaving under the Assisted Voluntary Return for Irregular Migrants Programme (since December 2004) and some cases where enforcement action had been initiated. (7) Since January 2005, persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (8 )Provisional figures. Figures will under-record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. 
		
	
	Further information on asylum is available from the Control of Immigration publications available in the Library of the House and the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics

Bigamy

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of bigamy were recorded in each year since 2007; and what proportion of such offences resulted in (a) court proceedings against suspected perpetrators, (b) convictions and (c) sanction detections.

Nick Herbert: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures for the number of offences of bigamy recorded by the police and the number detected by means of a sanction detection are given in the table. Statistics on court proceedings, including convictions, are a matter for the Ministry of Justice.
	Recorded crime and court proceedings statistics are recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data are provided on a financial year basis and count offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			 Offences of bigamy recorded by the police and detected by means of a sanction detection  (1)  —2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  Number of offences Number of sanction detections Percentage detected by means of a sanction detection 
			 2007-08 74 33 45 
			 2008-09 64 40 63 
			 2009-10 60 39 65 
			 (1) Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate in (a) each police force and (b) England and Wales was in each year since 2007-08.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is given in the table.
	Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected.
	From 1 April 2007 the rules governing recording of non-sanction detections were revised to reduce the scope within which they can be claimed to a very small limited set of circumstances. This has significantly reduced the number of non-sanction detections which has been reflected in the overall detection rates.
	
		
			 Detection rate for all offences recorded by the police in England and Wales  (1) 
			 Percentage detected 
			 Police force area 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 25 27 29 
			 Bedfordshire 22 26 26 
			 British Transport Police 27 32 35 
			 Cambridgeshire 27 25 27 
			 Cheshire 26 29 25 
			 Cleveland 33 38 40 
			 Cumbria 38 40 41 
			 Derbyshire 29 27 23 
			 Devon and Cornwall 28 30 30 
			 Dorset 27 25 24 
			 Durham 29 30 33 
			 Dyfed-Powys 42 44 48 
			 Essex 32 35 34 
			 Gloucestershire 32 31 30 
			 Greater Manchester 25 25 25 
			 Gwent 30 30 26 
			 Hampshire 27 25 27 
			 Hertfordshire 30 33 35 
			 Humberside 31 30 28 
			 Kent 27 32 33 
			 Lancashire 35 34 35 
			 Leicestershire 27 24 23 
		
	
	
		
			 Lincolnshire 28 27 24 
			 London, City of 36 36 36 
			 Merseyside 32 36 39 
			 Metropolitan Police 25 26 24 
			 Norfolk 32 38 37 
			 Northamptonshire 25 24 24 
			 Northumbria 38 39 40 
			 North Wales 40 43 43 
			 North Yorkshire 33 31 31 
			 Nottinghamshire 23 23 26 
			 South Wales 26 28 30 
			 South Yorkshire 27 29 31 
			 Staffordshire 28 23 23 
			 Suffolk 30 34 30 
			 Surrey 27 22 21 
			 Sussex 32 26 29 
			 Thames Valley 25 24 20 
			 Warwickshire 26 25 24 
			 West Mercia 29 30 27 
			 West Midlands 27 29 24 
			 West Yorkshire 24 26 27 
			 Wiltshire 27 31 30 
			 England and Wales 28 28 28 
			 (1) Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed per head of population in each police force area in each year since 2007-08.

Nick Herbert: The available information relates to the number of offences recorded by the police per 1,000 population and is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Rate of total recorded crime per 1,000 population, by police force area 
			 Rate per 1,000 population 
			 Police force area 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 93 87 79 
			 Bedfordshire 88 77 70 
			 Cambridgeshire 87 85 78 
			 Cheshire 79 75 67 
			 Cleveland 120 99 85 
			 Cumbria 71 62 57 
			 Derbyshire 78 74 68 
			 Devon and Cornwall 68 62 56 
			 Dorset 73 71 68 
			 Durham 80 75 67 
			 Dyfed-Powys 51 48 44 
			 Essex 72 67 61 
			 Gloucestershire 79 76 65 
			 Greater Manchester 117 110 96 
			 Gwent 87 88 91 
			 Hampshire 90 87 77 
			 Hertfordshire 76 71 65 
			 Humberside 107 99 88 
			 Kent 81 74 64 
			 Lancashire 85 81 74 
			 Leicestershire 91 89 83 
			 Lincolnshire 75 72 67 
		
	
	
		
			 London, City of (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Merseyside 94 87 80 
			 Metropolitan Police 114 111 108 
			 Norfolk 67 59 53 
			 Northamptonshire 96 89 81 
			 Northumbria 78 75 64 
			 North Wales 68 68 66 
			 North Yorkshire 64 62 54 
			 Nottinghamshire 118 108 92 
			 South Wales 101 95 83 
			 South Yorkshire 113 100 86 
			 Staffordshire 84 80 71 
			 Suffolk 69 66 65 
			 Surrey 64 60 58 
			 Sussex 78 70 65 
			 Thames Valley 91 90 84 
			 Warwickshire 76 71 63 
			 West Mercia 68 66 60 
			 West Midlands 95 87 81 
			 West Yorkshire 105 99 90 
			 Wiltshire 70 65 59 
			 England and Wales 91 86 79 
			 (1) Not applicable.

Cycling: Fines

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalties were issued to cyclists for the offence of (a) carrying another person and (b) cycling on pavements in each police force area in each of the last three years; how many of the penalties were issued to cyclists aged over 14 years; and how many on-the-spot fines for cycling on the pavement were issued by each police force in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Departmental Consultants

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has paid to external consultants for the implementation and management of the activity-based costing scheme for police forces in each financial year since 2004-05.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts her Department holds with Serco; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value is of each contract.

Damian Green: The Home Office holds five major contracts with Serco.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  End date Contract value 
			 Provision of RN Detection at UK borders 17 March 135 
			 Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre 14 August 188 
			 Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre 15 April 99 
			 Confidential IT Network 14 June 28 
			 National Border Targeting Centre and data centres 12 October 42

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against her Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The Home Office and its agencies do not hold the payment information in the required detail.
	The payments mentioned are included within special payments, further details of which, for 2009-10, can be found in note 30(b) of the Home Office's Resource Accounts 2009-10 (HC193) and for 2008-09 in note 33(b) of the Home Office's Resource Accounts 2008-09 (HC466).
	Figures for 2010-11 will be provided in the Home Office's 2010-11 Resource Accounts, to be published in July this year.

Departmental Meetings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcomes were of the meeting of 17 March 2011 in her Department which was attended by 37 suppliers to her Department, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice and Nick Gargan.

Nick Herbert: Following the event held on 17 March 2011, engagement and work with suppliers is being commenced to understand how the commercial position with suppliers and the police service can be improved.

Departmental Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice her Department provides to those wishing to (a) work as an intern, (b) undertake a work experience placement and (c) work as a volunteer in her Department.

Damian Green: The Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship programme aims to provide high calibre undergraduates/graduates with a six to eight week training/work placement within Government departments. In its current format it provides opportunities for black and ethnic minority and (lower) socio-economic students. For more information please view:
	www.faststream.gov.uk
	applications open in December for the following summer.
	Opportunities for work experience placements are quite limited but do arise occasionally. These placements are designed to help Year 10 or 11 students become familiar with work in general and are limited to one or two weeks. Students in year 10 or 11 interested in a placement in the Home Office will need to identify a specific area of interest and contact that area direct. For further information on the various areas within the Home Office please refer to our website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	Alternatively, please look at the following website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/index.aspx
	where further information can be found on other Government Departments and the civil service.
	There is no centrally run scheme for those seeking to volunteer to work at the Home Office. Potential volunteers will need to identify an area of interest and contact that area direct to see if any volunteering opportunities are available.

Deportation: Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases the Minister for Immigration has exercised his discretion in a deportation case in the last year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: As the Minister for Immigration I have not intervened or exercised my discretion on any deportation cases in the last year.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice her Department has issued on the implications for public security of the provision of litter bins at (a) railway stations and (b) other public places.

Nick Herbert: The Government's Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the police National Counter-Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) provide advice on protective security measures for crowded places. This advice addresses a wide range of issues including how to minimise the risk to the public from litter bins.
	Guidelines on blast hazards and appropriate protective security measures in relation to litter bins have been published by the Home Office Scientific and Development Branch (now the Centre for Applied Science and Technology) and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure. The guidelines include the advice that litter bins should not be placed near areas where large numbers of people congregate (such as meeting places in stations).
	The CPNI website:
	www.cpni.gov.uk
	provides advice on the testing of the explosive resistance of litter bins, as well as a range of basic good security measures. This includes giving consideration to the location, cleaning regime and the removal of bins, as well as the use of clear plastic bags. Further information from NaCTSO is available on their website:
	www.nactso.gov.uk
	The railway industry is subject to requirements and guidance on the provision of litter bins at railway stations, regulated by the Department for Transport. Bins may be provided at the discretion of station operators, but where installed they are subject to specific security control measures, including on their design, location, and security management.

Driving Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motoring offences were dealt with by police in each police force area in each year since 2006.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation she has undertaken with (a) further education colleges and (b) other interested parties on the effects of the proposed differential between students studying at further education colleges and universities in respect of hours of eligibility for part-time work.

Damian Green: holding answer 9 May 2011
	A public consultation on proposals for reform of the student route was conducted by the Home Office; this consultation closed on 31 January 2011. All the responses received during the consultation period shaped the final policy decisions that were taken, including on the ability for students to work during their studies. Full details of the final policy changes we are making to tier 4 are set out in the document “Student Visas—Statement of Intent and Transitional Measures”, which was published on 31 March 2011. Copies are available in the House Library.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether international students studying higher education courses at further education colleges will be allowed to work for 20 hours a week on the same basis as their university counterparts under the proposed new regulations.

Damian Green: holding answer 9 May 2011
	In summer 2011, we will make the next set of changes to the student immigration system following on from the recent consultation on the route, including changes to the ability for students to work. Students sponsored by publicly-funded further education colleges will be given permission to work 10 hours per week during term-time, and full-time during vacations. Students studying at privately funded providers of further and higher education, and at English language schools will not be granted permission to work at any time during their studies. This is set out in the document “Student Visas—Statement of Intent and Transitional Measures”, which was published on 31 March 2011. Copies are available in the House Library.

Homicide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, columns 871-2W, on homicide, what causal factors her Department has identified as underlying the fall in the rate of homicide between 2001-02 and 2009-10.

Nick Herbert: Analysis has not been conducted to identify specific causal factors underlying this reduction. However, trend analysis presented in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin “Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2009/10” shows that there has been no or very little change over this period in the proportion of homicides by particular methods or relationship of the victim to principal suspect.
	Further, the bulletin shows that following a general rise between 1997-98 and 2001-02, the homicide rate in 2009-10 has now returned to a similar level as 1997-98 (at 11.8 per million population).

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the level of human trafficking into the UK.

Damian Green: Victims of trafficking are formally identified through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). NRM statistical reports are published quarterly and can be found on the SOCA website at:
	www.soca.gov.uk/about-soca/about-the-ukhtc/statistical-data
	Between 1 April 2009 and 31 December 2010 there were 1,254 potential victims of trafficking referred into the NRM.

Illegal Immigrants

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted leave to remain after (a) 10-years legal residence and (b) 14-years illegal residence in the UK in each year between 1997 and 2010.

Damian Green: The following table shows the number of people granted leave to remain after making a long residency application for (a) 10-year legal residence and (b) 14 years illegal residence in the UK covering the period 1April 2003 to the 31 December 2010. The figures are separated by the year in which a decision was made.
	The provision to grant indefinite leave to remain (ILR) on the basis of 14-year long term residence, along with that of 10-year long-term residence, was introduced into the immigration rules in April 2003. Therefore we are unable to provide data prior to this date.
	
		
			 Number of individuals granted leave to remain 
			  (a) 10-year legal residence (b) 14-year illegal residence Total 
			 2003 (from April) 2,043 952 2,995 
			 2004 2,260 781 3,041 
			 2005 2,581 730 3,311 
			 2006 3,391 799 4,190 
			 2007 2,411 949 3,360 
			 2008 2,148 902 3,050 
			 2009 3,042 2,061 5,103 
			 2010 4,759 1,774 6,533 
			  22,635 8,948 31,583 
			 Note: All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Immigrants: English Language

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions she has made for the approval of English language test providers in the period between the withdrawal of the list of approved providers and the publication of a new list.

Damian Green: The new list of English language test providers was published on 6 April. Transitional arrangements have been put in place which will allow customers to use either the new list of providers or the existing list of providers for a specific period.
	For tier 1 and tier 2 of the points-based system, the transitional arrangements apply to applications received by the UK Border Agency on or before 17 May 2011. For applications as a spouse or partner the application must be received on or before 17 July 2011. There are no transitional arrangements for tier 4 as the previous providers for tier 4 are all included on the new list along with two additional providers.

Interpreters

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what scale of fees was payable to interpreters by (a) the UK Border Agency and its predecessors and (b) each police force in respect of (i) illegal entry and (ii) criminal matters in each of the last five years; how much was paid for such services in each category in each such year; and what expenses are payable to such interpreters.

Damian Green: UK Border Agency interpreters are paid as shown in the following table:
	
		
			 UKBA interpreter fees 
			   £ per hour 
			 Weekdays First hour 48 
			  Then (1)16 
			   (2)20 
			 Saturdays First hour 72 
			  Then 26 
			 Sundays/Bank holidays First hour 72 
			  Then 32 
			 (1) Between 08:01 and 18:00 (2) Between 18:01 and 08:00 
		
	
	These fees have remained the same since 2002. UK Border Agency is unable to provide amounts of spend on specific areas of interpreter provision as interpreter events are not recorded in this manner.
	Travel expenses are only paid for interpreters where they are travelling in excess of three hours each way.
	The Home Office does not hold information regarding remuneration and reimbursement of expenses for interpreters working for police forces.

Kent Police Authority: Operating Costs

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the running cost of Kent Police Authority was in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The Home Office does not hold this information, and this should be referred to the authority itself. However, according to Kent Police Authority's statement of accounts, Kent Police Authority gross expenditure in the year 2009-10 was £1,516,000.

Newspaper Press

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on newspapers and periodicals in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: The Home Office HQ purchases all newspapers, periodicals and trade profession journals via a framework agreement. Expenditure for the last three years is shown in the following tables. It should be noted that occasionally business areas purchase individual copies of particular newspapers or magazines to meet urgent business needs. These are funded from devolved budgets for which figures are not available, and they are therefore not included.
	
		
			 HOHQ and UKBA 
			 Financial year Spend (£) 
			 2008-09 32,788.25 
			 2009-10 38,833.14 
			 2010-11 33,084.42 
		
	
	
		
			 CRB 
			 Financial year Spend (£) 
			 2008-09 2,672.00 
			 2009-10 323.21 
			 2010-11 640.72 
		
	
	
		
			 IPS 
			 Financial year Spend (£) 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10 0 
			 2010-11 0

Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were recorded per 1,000 population in (a) England and Wales and (b) each police force area for each type of offence in each year since 2007.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is shown in the tables placed in the House Library.

Passports

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incorrectly issued passports were seized by the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The number of incorrectly issued UK passports detected and seized by the UK Border Agency at the UK border over the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006 68 
			 2007 92 
			 2008 47 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 33 
			 2010 27

Passports

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incorrectly issued passports were returned voluntarily to the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The following figures provide the number of cases where customers have had passports issued incorrectly and have returned them to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) for the passport be amended.
	The Identity and Passport Service do not record how these passports are returned to us, therefore some may have been returned at the request of IPS and some may have been returned as the customer has noticed the error themselves.
	
		
			  Number of passports incorrectly issued Total passports issued Percentage of passports incorrectly issued 
			 2006 11,352 6,317,839 0.18 
			 2007 9,464 5,726,414 0.17 
			 2008 7,949 5,293,681 0.15 
			 2009 6,874 5,105,698 0.13 
			 2010 6,203 5,341,034 0.12 
			 Total 41,842 27,784,666 0.15

Passports

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of passports were incorrectly issued by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The following figures provide the number of cases where customers have had passports issued incorrectly and have returned them to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) for the passport be amended.
	
		
			  Number of passports incorrectly issued Total passports issued Percentage of passports incorrectly issued 
			 2006 11,352 6,317,839 0.18 
			 2007 9,464 5,726,414 0.17 
			 2008 7,949 5,293,681 0.15 
			 2009 6,874 5,105,698 0.13 
			 2010 6,203 5,341,034 0.12 
			 Total 41,842 27,784,666 0.15

Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rules she plans to introduce to govern the funding of election campaigns for directly-elected police and crime commissioners.

Nick Herbert: There will be a clear and rigorous regulatory framework supporting police and crime commissioner elections, just as there are for other kinds of election. The Government are working closely with the Electoral Commission, representatives of local government and others to draw up these regulations, which will be set out in secondary legislation. Subject to the will of Parliament, they will be issued following Royal Assent to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.

Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations she plans to introduce to govern the elections of directly-elected police and crime commissioners.

Nick Herbert: As we have said, there will be a clear and rigorous regulatory framework supporting police and crime commissioner elections, just as there are for other kinds of election. It will be set out in secondary legislation, and issued following Royal Assent to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, subject to the will of Parliament.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police resources is allocated to traffic policing in each police force area; how many dedicated traffic police officers there were in each such area in each year since 2007-08; what recent discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on the number of dedicated traffic police officers; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Available information relating to police officers whose primary function is listed as traffic in England and Wales from 2007-08 to 2009-10 is given in the following table.
	Information on the proportion of police resources allocated to traffic policing is not available centrally. The Government allocate funding to Police Authorities as a whole and they, in discussion with the chief constable, judge local need and prioritise resources accordingly.
	The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers on this issue because decisions on the deployment of officers to different functions are an operational matter for chief constables to determine.
	
		
			 Police officers FTE  (1)   whose main function is traffic  (2)   2007-08 to   2009-10 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 160 168 157 
			 Bedfordshire 65 56 57 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 99 101 
			 Cheshire 94 88 90 
			 Cleveland 104 106 115 
			 Cumbria 99 66 86 
			 Derbyshire 109 89 88 
			 Devon and Cornwall 232 236 239 
			 Dorset 78 79 76 
			 Durham 107 104 96 
			 Dyfed-Powys 128 94 64 
			 Essex 219 222 257 
			 Gloucestershire 67 67 65 
			 Greater Manchester 338 315 310 
			 Gwent 57 49 63 
			 Hampshire 214 187 181 
			 Hertfordshire 152 151 139 
			 Humberside 104 97 116 
			 Kent 122 138 138 
			 Lancashire 180 181 171 
		
	
	
		
			 Leicestershire 74 85 86 
			 Lincolnshire 92 66 84 
			 City of London 26 23 30 
			 Merseyside 152 167 164 
			 Metropolitan Police 612 290 297 
			 Norfolk 116 109 102 
			 Northamptonshire 60 63 68 
			 Northumbria 165 164 169 
			 North Wales 90 88 86 
			 North Yorkshire 105 103 99 
			 Nottinghamshire 144 139 47 
			 South Wales 233 165 143 
			 South Yorkshire 144 135 130 
			 Staffordshire 34 30 67 
			 Suffolk 81 72 67 
			 Surrey 98 97 100 
			 Sussex 160 166 159 
			 Thames Valley 250 249 228 
			 Warwickshire 93 14 10 
			 West Mercia 128 119 101 
			 West Midlands 352 351 351 
			 West Yorkshire 283 297 315 
			 Wiltshire 91 85 83 
			 Total 6,299 5,714 5,634 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Staff with multiple responsibi1ities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motorcycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. The does not include officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the costs of policing the annual party political conferences in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and from which budget these costs were met.

Nick Herbert: The actual costs of policing party political conferences are set out in the following table. These costs were met from the Home Office special grant budget.
	
		
			 Costs of policing the annual party political conferences 
			 Financial year Political party £ million 
			 2009-10 Labour 5.7 
			  Conservative 3.4 
			  Total 9.1 
			    
			 2010-11 Labour 3.3 
			  Conservative 3.5 
			  Liberal Democrat 1.2 
			  Total 8.0

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers (a) were killed on duty and (b) received bravery awards in each police force area in England and Wales in each year since 2005.

Nick Herbert: Available information relates to fatal assaults on police officers by police force area in England and Wales from 2004-05 to 2009-10 and is given in the table (the table indicates where forces did not make a statistical return for assaults).
	The UK Honours System (including awards for merit, service or bravery) is managed by the Cabinet Office Honours and Appointments Secretariat and details of awards are published in the London Gazette. The number of police officers receiving such awards is not collected centrally within the police personnel statistics series.
	
		
			 Fatal assaults  (1)   on police officers 2004-05 to 2009-10 
			  2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 * 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 * * 
			 Cleveland 0 * 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 * * 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 * * 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 0 0 * 0 * 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 * 0 0 * 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 * * 0 * 
			 Gwent 0 0 * 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire * 0 * 0 0 * 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 0 0 * 0 1 0 
			 Lancashire 0 * * 0 0 0 
			 Leicestershire * 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Police * 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 * 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 * 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 * * 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 * 0 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 0 * * 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 * 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 * 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 * 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands * 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 * * 0 0 
			 * = Data unavailable/not provided by the police. (1) These data are provisional and have not been validated with forces.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rate of abstraction of Metropolitan Police officers from each London borough for (a) counter-terrorism, (b) special operations and (c) public order event policing work was in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not available centrally.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to support volunteers who (a) staff police stations and (b) undertake other voluntary work for police forces.

Nick Herbert: There are specific support systems in place to aid the growth of police support volunteer (PSV) programmes. In 2007, a Programme Board was established to assist in the development of PSV programmes in police forces across England and Wales. A PSV Business Plan issued by the PSV Programme Board was launched in September 2009, for the period 2009-13, which aims to promote and increase the use of PSVs.

Police

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on policing in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 How much the Home Department has spent on policing since 1997 
			 £ billion 
			 Financial year Revenue funding England and Wales  (1) Capital funding England and Wales  (2) Total funding England and Wales 
			 1997-98 3.1 0.2 3.3 
			 1998-99 3.3 0.1 3.4 
			 1999-2000 3.3 0.1 3.4 
			 2000-01 3.5 0.1 3.6 
			 2001-02 3.8 0.2 3.9 
			 2002-03 4.1 0.2 4.3 
			 2003-04 4.6 0.2 4.8 
			 2004-05 4.8 0.2 5.0 
			 2005-06 5.0 0.2 5.2 
			 2006-07 5.3 0.2 5.5 
			 2007-08 5.6 0.2 5.8 
			 2008-09 5.7 0.2 6.0 
			 2009-10 5.9 0.2 6.1 
			 2010-11(3) 5.9 0.2 6.2 
			 (1) Figures comprise the Home Office Core Settlement and certain specific grants. (2) Capital includes Air Support, Reserves and specific grants. (3) Following in-year reductions (made to Capital and Rule 2 Grant). Note: From 2006-07 funding for pensions and security funding became specific grants.

Police

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sectionings under the Mental Health Act 1983 were initiated by a police officer of each police force in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not reported centrally.

Police Custody

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the use of police custody suites to detain persons considered (a) mentally ill or held for their own protection and (b) drunk and disorderly.

Nick Herbert: The Government have no single policy on the use of police custody suites to detain individuals suffering from mental ill health or who are drunk and disorderly, as each case is considered individually and will be an operational matter for the police to assess. However, the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers published “Guidance on the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody in 2006” which examined under what circumstances detention in police custody is appropriate and safe.
	The police have specific powers under the Mental Health Act 1983 to remove someone suffering from mental ill health and in need of immediate care to a place of safety when necessary. A place of safety could be residential accommodation, a hospital, a police station, a specialist care home or other appropriate accommodation. However, guidance stipulates that a police station should only be used in exceptional circumstances and local protocols should exist to specify more appropriate locations.
	For those under the influence of alcohol who have been identified as being a high medical risk, hospital should always be the first option. For others, police custody may be appropriate and a risk assessment on arrival will identify suitable healthcare, restraint, observation and rousing routines, as outlined in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code of Practice C.

Police: Airports

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of policing each airport was in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The cost of uniformed police officers at airports is not held centrally. However, funding for Special Branch officers at ports is provided by the Home Office through counter-terrorism grants as a contribution to the police costs for specific national security functions. The grants paid to police forces towards the costs of funding their Special Branch officers at ports in the last five financial years were as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2006-07 71.4 
			 2007-08 72.6 
			 2008-09 77.1 
			 2009-10 77.8 
			 2010-11 76.3 
		
	
	Changes to arrangements for uniformed airport policing were introduced in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 (section 79, 80 and Schedule 6) and are being implemented for the 2011-12 financial year. Under the new arrangements, the airport operator, the local police and the relevant police authority should agree the level of policing required at airports.
	The onus is on the airport operator to meet the costs in full where a dedicated policing presence is required.

Police: Bureaucracy

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials of her Department have been assigned to duties with the objective of reducing the burden of administration on police forces in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Herbert: There are many areas of Home Office business which relate to reducing the burden of administration on police forces and numbers of staff in these areas change throughout each year. However, there are currently two members of staff in the Home Office who have specific responsibility for co-ordinating the work to reduce unnecessary police bureaucracy.
	The Home Office works with other policing partners to reduce bureaucracy through the Reducing Bureaucracy Programme Board, which is chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers. Areas also represented on this Programme Board are Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Association of Police Authorities.

Police: Corruption

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of corruption involving police officers which involved illegal drugs there were in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not available centrally.

Police: Corruption

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were brought against police forces by members of the public for (a) malicious prosecution, (b) false imprisonment and (c) assault in each year since 1997; how many such cases were decided in favour of the complainant; and how much compensation was paid in respect of each such case.

Nick Herbert: There are no criminal offences for (a) malicious prosecution, (b) false imprisonment and (c) assault specifically by the police and the Home Office does not hold information relating to civil cases.
	Data on complaints, however, were collected by the Home Office up until April 2004 and are available at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218135832/rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1704.pdf
	This contains tables on proportions of complaints that were substantiated (Tables 5, 6), and by the type of proceedings which resulted (Table 8). Table 8 breaks down substantiated complaints by reason for complaint.
	Since April 2004 data on complaints have been collected by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and are available at:
	http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx
	The IPCC data contain statistics relating to the number of allegations recorded against police officers and the outcomes of completed investigations for unlawful/unnecessary arrest or detention and assault. The IPCC does not hold statistics on malicious prosecution.
	It is entirely at the discretion of the chief constable as to how to respond to any claims for compensation. The Home Office does not therefore collate any figures on this, although individual police forces may hold these data.

Police: Drugs

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those brought into a police station tested positively for class A drugs in each year since 2007-08; and what proportion of those voluntarily agreed to treatment.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Police: Expenditure

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the cost to the public purse of the work of police forces with (a) the NHS, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) local authorities in 2009-10; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The Government have been clear that police forces must use their resources to good effect and achieve value for money. However, spending decisions are for the chief constable and police authority to make locally and data about the cost of working with the NHS, voluntary organisations and local authorities are therefore not collected centrally.

Police: Firearms

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have received firearm injuries while on duty (a) in England and Wales and (b) in each police force area in each year since 2007.

Nick Herbert: Available information relates to offences recorded by the police in England and Wales between 2006-07 and 2009-10 where a firearm (excluding air weapons) was fired and the victim was an on-duty police officer. The police force area data are provided in Table A. England and Wales data were published in Table 2c in 'Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2009/10' on 20 January 2011 at the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb0111/hosb0111?view=Binary
	
		
			 Table A:   Crimes recorded by the police in which a firearm (excluding air weapons) was fired and the victim   was an on-duty police officer,   England and Wales, 2006-07 to 2009-10 
			 Number of offences 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			   Resulted in:  Resulted in:  Resulted in:  Resulted in: 
			 Police force area Total Injury  (1) Fatal injury Total In injury  (1) Fatal injury Total Injury  (1) Fatal injury Total Injury  (1) Fatal injury 
			 Cleveland — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Northumbria — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 North East Region — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			              
			 Cheshire 1 1 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Cumbria — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Greater Manchester 3 1 — 2 1 — 4 — — 2 2 — 
			 Lancashire — — — 7 7 — 4 2 — — — — 
			 Merseyside 2 1 — 4 1 — — — — — — — 
			 North West Region 6 3 — 13 9 — 8 2 — 2 2 — 
			              
			 Humberside 1 1 — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 North Yorkshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 South Yorkshire — — — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 West Yorkshire 3 2 — 1 1 — — — — 2 1 — 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 4 3 — 1 1 — 2 — — 2 1 — 
			              
			 Derbyshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Leicestershire 1 1 — — — — — — — 1 1 — 
			 Lincolnshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Northamptonshire — — — — — — — — — 1 — — 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — 2 1 — — — — — — — 
			 East Midlands Region 1 1 — 2 1 — — — — 2 1 — 
			              
			 Staffordshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Warwickshire — — — 1 1 — — — — — — — 
			 West Mercia 1 — — 2 1 1 1 1 — — — — 
			 West Midlands 5 5 — 4 3 — 1 — — — — — 
			 West Midlands Region 6 5 — 7 5 1 2 1 — — — — 
			              
			 Bedfordshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Cambridgeshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Essex — — — — — — 2 2 — 3 3 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Hertfordshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Norfolk — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Suffolk — — — 1 — — — — — — — — 
			 East of England Region — — — 1 — — 2 2 — 3 3 — 
			              
			 City of London — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Metropolitan 5 3 — 6 1 — 10 4 — 9 9 — 
			 London Region 5 3 — 6 1 — 10 4 — 9 9 — 
			              
			 Hampshire — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Kent — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Surrey — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Sussex — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Thames Valley — — — 2 2 — 1 — — 3 — — 
			 South East Region — — — 2 2 — 1 — — 3 — — 
			              
			 Avon and Somerset — — — 1 — — — — — — — — 
			 Devon and Cornwall — — — — — — — — — 1 — — 
			 Dorset — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Gloucestershire 3 3 — 1 — — — — — — — — 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 South West Region 4 4 — 2 — — — — — 1 — — 
			              
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 1 — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Gwent — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 North Wales — — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 South Wales — — — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Wales 1 1 — — — — 1 — — — — — 
			              
			 England and Wales 27 20 — 34 19 1 26 9 — 22 16 — 
			 (1) Includes fatal, serious (which necessitated detention in hospital or involved fractures, concussion, severe general shock, penetration by a bullet or multiple shot wounds) and slight injuries.

Police: Firearms

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many operations firearms were issued to police officers in England and Wales in each year since 2005; in how many such operations weapons were discharged by police officers; how many police officers were qualified to carry firearms in each such year; and how many police officers in each police force area were armed while on duty in each such year.

Nick Herbert: Figures on the police use of firearms are published as part of the annual data requirement. The last figures for 2008-09 were published on 5 March 2010 and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/police-use-firearms/

Police: Firearms

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were found guilty of offences of unlawful killing using firearms in each of the last 20 years.

Nick Herbert: Home Office checks have found no cases of police officers having been found guilty of offences of unlawful killing using firearms in each of the last 20 years.

Police: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed in Harrow in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 5 May 2011
	Available data relates to police officer strength for Harrow basic command unit from 31 March 2008 to 31 March 2010.
	The latest annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin was published in July 2010 and relates to 2009-10. It can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/police-research/hosb1410/?view=Standard&pubID=864832
	Bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.

Police: Internet

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the integration of IT systems used by (a) police forces and (b) other policing bodies.

Nick Herbert: As well as an increasing number of national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems that already exist (Annex A), the process of convergence of police IT through the Information Systems Improvement Strategy (ISIS) over the four years of the spending review has already begun.
	ISIS will allow forces to purchase standardised ICT services from a smaller number of suppliers. This will mean that police ICT is increasingly integrated, cheaper and better supports interoperability and collaboration between forces.
	
		
			 Current national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems 
			 System Purpose 
			 National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) The NFLMS holds data on firearms licences at police force area level for police forces in England and Wales. It does not cover the whole of the UK. 
		
	
	
		
			 Police National Computer (PNC) The PNC is a critical national service which the Police Service and many others in the Criminal Justice System, rely on in order to perform their jobs effectively and safely. It contains records from a number of separate information databases. 
			 Airwave Airwave is the UK’s secure radio service used by the police, fire and ambulance services as well as other public safety organisations. 
			 Visor Visor is a secure register of dangerous persons used by police, probation and prisons to manage violent and sex offenders, especially cross-border. 
			 Police National Database The PND is an ICT system that allows the whole of the Police Service to share, access and search local force information drawn from crime, custody, intelligence, child abuse and domestic abuse systems. It is currently in the process of being rolled out.

Police: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of employing police officers as a proportion of the total budget for each police force in England was in each year since 1990.

Nick Herbert: The information from 2001-02 until 2009-10 (the latest available) is set out in the table.
	Information prior to 2001-02 is available only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Table showing proportion of total revenue expenditure spent on police officer salaries by individual   police forces   in England 
			 Percentage 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 49 49 50 47 46 59 57 52 53 
			 Bedfordshire 52 51 53 49. 46 57 59 56 54 
			 Cambridgeshire 50 49 47 46 38 54 58 57 52 
			 Cheshire 52 53 51 46 48 61 59 54 54 
			 City of London 50 51 54 53 52 62 57 55 53 
			 Cleveland 49 49 46 48 48 64 58 58 57 
			 Cumbria 49 49 51 49 48 59 60 56 51 
			 Derbyshire 52 51 54 51 49 64 61 57 57 
			 Devon and Cornwall 50 47 50 47 46 59 57 51 53 
			 Dorset 47 48 48 45 45 57 58 57 53 
			 Durham 54 56 58 55 52 70 56 63 60 
			 Essex 52 53 53 50 49 62 60 58 57 
			 Gloucestershire 50 50 49 47 47 59 58 53 55 
			 Greater Manchester 54 56 58 47 51 60 66 62 61 
			 Hampshire 49 55 53 47 43 59 61 58 55 
			 Hertfordshire 51 49 47 45 44 57 56 53 51 
			 Humberside 54 56 56 52 49 65 61 58 56 
			 Kent 51 52 51 51 42 59 57 54 55 
			 Lancashire 52 52 53 50 49 63 61 59 61 
			 Leicestershire 55 54 54 53 52 61 65 62 60 
			 Lincolnshire 50 50 50 46 47 55 57 55 50 
			 Merseyside 51 52 56 53 51 65 64 65 64 
			 Metropolitan Police 50 50 51 48 46 59 58 57 57 
			 Norfolk 47 45 46 44 42 53 52 48 51 
			 North Yorkshire 48 50 51 50 45 56 54 52 51 
			 Northamptonshire 48 47 46 44 41 49 52 50 50 
			 Northumbria 53 54 56 54 51 67 64 63 63 
			 Nottinghamshire 51 51 55 51 49 64 63 59 58 
			 South Yorkshire 55 54 55 53 50 64 62 59 55 
			 Staffordshire 52 52 52 46 45 62 61 56 56 
			 Suffolk 49 49 48 44 44 56 60 58 54 
			 Surrey 51 48 46 41 40 51 49 46 42 
			 Sussex 48 48 47 44 43 54 54 50 49 
			 Thames Valley 49 47 47 40 43 58 55 52 52 
			 Warwickshire 51 51 47 42 40 62 62 60 46 
		
	
	
		
			 West Mercia 48 49 52 51 48 59 59 56 55 
			 West Midlands 56 57 58 55 52 64 68 63 61 
			 West Yorkshire 48 50 51 49 48 59 57 54 57 
			 Wiltshire 48 47 46 43 42 55 51 49 49 
			 Notes: 1. All proportions derived from data from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s annual Police Statistics publication. 2. The suture of funding for police pensions changed in 2006-07 which is likely to be a key reason for the noticeable difference in proportions between 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Police: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian staff have been employed in England and Wales, broken down by police force area in each year since 2007.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Police staff  (1)   strength  (2)   in England and Wales by police force as at 31 March 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 30 September 2010 
			  As at   31 March  
			 Police force 2007 2008 2009 2010 30 September   2010 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,208 2,289 2,176 1,871 1,896 
			 Bedfordshire 744 724 764 825 820 
			 Cambridgeshire 922 892 990 1,038 993 
			 Cheshire 1,262 1,406 1,480 1,480 1,439 
			 Cleveland 711 701 725 700 713 
			 Cumbria 743 773 811 794 761 
			 Derbyshire 1,204 1,266 1,288 1,225 1,189 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,046 2,147 1,790 1,766 1,730 
			 Dorset 973 959 984 1,027 993 
			 Durham 762 816 925 881 855 
			 Essex 1,918 1,986 2,087 2,075 1,981 
			 Gloucestershire 718 700 708 729 725 
			 Greater Manchester 3,369 3,534 3,861 3,927 3,822 
			 Hampshire 2,354 2,430 2,352 2,271 2,260 
			 Hertfordshire 1,501 1,490 1,549 1,481 1,409 
			 Humberside 1,213 1,313 1,404 1,415 1,403 
			 Kent 2,285 2,337 2,430 2,381 2,280 
			 Lancashire 1,802 1,927 1,982 1,957 1,906 
			 Leicestershire 1,141 1,142 1,218 1,151 1,130 
			 Lincolnshire 720 760 616 879 873 
			 London, City of 319 299 297 310 325 
			 Merseyside 2,173 2,203 2,221 2,117 2,101 
			 Metropolitan Police 14,016 14,085 14,177 14,179 14,047 
			 Norfolk 1,059 1,053 1,072 1,072 1,018 
			 Northamptonshire 1.009 1,024 1,151 1,161 1,120 
			 Northumbria 1,711 1,863 2,068 2,010 1,972 
			 North Yorkshire 1,128 1,079 1,095 1,159 1,153 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,370 1,372 1,505 1,567 1,507 
			 South Yorkshire 1,978 2,038 2,120 2,304 2,311 
			 Staffordshire 1,287 1,309 1,315 1,315 1,234 
			 Suffolk 847 614 668 922 913 
			 Surrey 1,680 1,808 1,732 1,829 1,854 
			 Sussex 1,994 1,974 2,080 2,139 2,133 
			 Thames Valley 2,756 2,772 2,897 2,930 2,885 
			 Warwickshire 624 629 688 765 744 
			 West Mercia 1,618 1,647 1,722 1,715 1,686 
			 West Midlands 3.348 3,436 3,570 3,667 3,544 
			 West Yorkshire 3,077 3,247 3,483 3,539 3,464 
			 Wiltshire 859 879 854 833 801 
			 Dyfed-Powys 606 625 633 692 671 
			 Gwent 805 855 855 810 815 
			 North Wales 759 774 823 876 845 
			 South Wales 1,559 1,575 1,728 1,810 1,800 
			 Total 43 Forces 75,176 76,948 79,296 79,595 78,120 
			 (1) Police stall excludes designated officers, police community support officers and traffic wardens, (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police: Manpower

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police force in each year since 2008.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Police officer strength in England and Wales by police force as at  31 March 2008, 2009, 2010 and 30 September 2010 
			  As at   31 March  
			 Police force 2008 2009 2010 30 September 2010 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,407 3,355 3,302 3,264 
			 Bedfordshire 1,207 1,244 1,246 1,242 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,379 1,450 1,471 1,441 
			 Cheshire 2,181 2,180 2,142 2,148 
			 Cleveland 1,692 1,756 1,724 1,694 
			 Cumbria 1,246 1,284 1,238 1,220 
			 Derbyshire 2,095 2,137 2,074 2,076 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,529 3,556 3,561 3,526 
			 Dorset 1,518 1,512 1,486 1,478 
			 Durham 1,632 1,588 1,507 1,463 
			 Essex 3,385 3,484 3,606 3,639 
			 Gloucestershire 1,353 1,372 1,309 1,295 
			 Greater Manchester 8,034 8,232 8,148 7,976 
			 Hampshire 3,912 3,811 3,748 3,702 
			 Hertfordshire 2,162 2,172 2,130 2,092 
			 Humberside 2,243 2,110 2,058 2,001 
			 Kent 3,718 3,799 3,834 3,741 
			 Lancashire 3,675 3,753 3,649 3,549 
			 Leicestershire 2,241 2,363 2,317 2,258 
			 Lincolnshire 1,201 1,229 1,206 1,197 
			 London, City of 830 813 852 878 
			 Merseyside 4,477 4,494 4,516 4,414 
			 Metropolitan Police 31,460 32,610 33,367 32,900 
			 Norfolk 1,578 1,668 1,665 1,631 
			 Northamptonshire 1,309 1,326 1,343 1,337 
			 Northumbria 3,983 4,111 4,187 4,144 
			 North Yorkshire 1,581 1,460 1,486 1,452 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,369 2,408 2,409 2,379 
			 South Yorkshire 3,201 3,053 2,953 2,977 
			 Staffordshire 2,269 2,211 2,161 2,116 
			 Suffolk 1,319 1,291 1,246 1,272 
			 Surrey 1,944 1,872 1,890 1,864 
			 Sussex 3,075 3,196 3,213 3,177 
			 Thames Valley 4,186 4,317 4,434 4,412 
			 Warwickshire 1,036 994 973 949 
			 West Mercia 2,486 2,471 2,391 2,303 
			 West Midlands 8,412 8,637 8,626 8,485 
			 West Yorkshire 5,822 5,854 5,759 5,673 
			 Wiltshire 1,210 1,229 1,181 1,138 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,194 1,197 1,195 1,175 
			 Gwent 1,487 1,438 1,437 1,508 
			 North Wales 1,579 1,586 1,590 1,558 
			 South Wales 3,244 3,146 3,148 3,108 
			 Total 43 Forces 141,859 143,770 143,776 141,850 
			 Note: This table contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police: Manpower

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to police forces on the involvement of serving police officers in recruitment processes for police officers; and which forces (a) do and (b) do not engage serving officers in their recruitment processes.

Nick Herbert: The involvement of police officers in any part of police officer recruitment process is a matter for the chief officer. Guidance on marking police officer application forms or managing police recruitment assessment centres does not stipulate the involvement of serving police officers.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) maintains a database of trained police officer recruit assessment centre assessors which shows that:
	(a) 42 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales have reported to the NPIA having police officers who have been trained to assess one or more exercises at the police officer recruit assessment centre.
	(b) Essex police has not reported to the NPIA any police officers trained to assess any of the police officer recruit assessment centre exercises.
	It should be noted that the accuracy of the database is dependent upon the accuracy of information passed onto the NPIA by assessors as it is self reported data. The database may also include officers who have trained but who have subsequently left the force. This information does not reflect the levels of deployment or engagement of serving police officers in the police officer recruit assessment centre or any other part of the police officer recruit process.

Police: Overtime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) total and (b) average overtime payments for police officers were in each police force in England and Wales for each year since 2007-08.

Nick Herbert: Information about police service expenditure, including overtime, is available on the website of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants:
	www.cipfastats.net
	Two tables follow: Table 1 shows the past spend on police officer overtime by force; Table 2 calculates overtime spend by officer, based on data from Table 1 and police officer strength recorded in Home Office Annual Data Returns.
	
		
			 Table 1  :   Spend on overtime by force 
			 £ million 
			  Spend on officer overtime 
			 Force 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 6.996 6.535 6.239 
			 Bedfordshire 3.993 3.962 4.079 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.238 4.584 3.37 
			 Cheshire 6.925 4.425 4.554 
			 Cleveland 4.369 3.813 3.306 
			 Cumbria 2.444 1.712 1.359 
			 Derbyshire 4.854 4.256 3.533 
			 Devon and Cornwall 6.548 6.467 5.12 
			 Dorset 3.243 3.181 2.608 
		
	
	
		
			 Durham 3.596 2.702 2.678 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2.566 2.329 2.339 
			 Essex 11.732 9.623 7.714 
			 Gloucestershire 3.353 2.662 3.519 
			 Greater Manchester 23.322 23.319 24.257 
			 Gwent 4.134 3.548 3.299 
			 Hampshire 11.48 8.871 8.091 
			 Hertfordshire 7.272 6.159 5.663 
			 Humberside 6.874 5.402 5.598 
			 Kent 6.548 10.084 7.055 
			 Lancashire 8.918 7.801 7.004 
			 Leicestershire 5.476 5.169 4.527 
			 Lincolnshire 3.708 2.68 2.49 
			 London, City of 2.731 2.141 2.342 
			 Merseyside 11.071 10.8465 10.853 
			 Metropolitan Police 144.957 137.876 * 
			 Norfolk 4.201 3.298 3.034 
			 Northamptonshire 3.478 2.829 2.463 
			 Northumbria 7.878 7.424 8.138 
			 North Wales 3.626 2.738 3.056 
			 North Yorkshire 2.996 2.477 3.992 
			 Nottinghamshire 5.036 5.469 6.057 
			 South Wales 6.827 6.449 6.18 
			 South Yorkshire 10.167 8.329 9.209 
			 Staffordshire 5.104 4.969 5.277 
			 Suffolk 3.543 2.856 2.1 
			 Surrey 5.93 4.643 4.875 
			 Sussex 5.946 6.598 6.684 
			 Thames Valley 13.762 * 10.767 
			 Warwickshire 3.753 3.33 2.341 
			 West Mercia 5.56 5.77 4.864 
			 West Midlands 24.152 21.301 17.95 
			 West Yorkshire 18.128 13,79 12.496 
			 Wiltshire 2.719 3.18 1.654 
			 * Data unavailable Source: Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2  :   Overtime spend per officer 
			  Officer strength FTE at 31 March of financial year  (1) Spend per officer (£) 
			 Force 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,407 3,355 3,302 2,054 1,948 1,889 
			 Bedfordshire 1,207 1,246 1,246 3,309 3,180 3,274 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,380 1,450 1,471 3,072 3,162 2,291 
			 Cheshire 2,181 2,180 2,155 3,175 2,030 2,113 
			 Cleveland 1,692 1,756 1,724 2,582 2,171 1,918 
			 Cumbria 1,246 1,284 1,238 1,961 1,333 1,098 
			 Derbyshire 2,095 2,137 2,074 2,317 1,992 1,703 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,529 3,556 3,556 1,855 1,819 1,440 
			 Dorset 1,518 1,512 1,486 2,137 2,104 1,755 
			 Durham 1,632 1,589 1,507 2,203 1,701 1,777 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,194 1,197 1,195 2,149 1,945 1,957 
			 Essex 3,385 3,484 3,606 3,466 2,762 2,139 
			 Gloucestershire 1,353 1,371 1,309 2,478 1,942 2,688 
			 Greater Manchester 8,034 8,232 8,148 2,903 2,833 2,977 
			 Gwent 1,487 1,438 1,437 2,781 2,467 2,296 
			 Hampshire 3,912 3,811 3,748 2,934 2,328 2,159 
			 Hertfordshire 2,162 2,172 2,130 3,364 2,835 2,659 
		
	
	
		
			 Humberside 2,243 2,110 2,058 3,064 2,560 2,720 
			 Kent 3,718 3,799 3,787 1,761 2,655 1,863 
			 Lancashire 3,675 3,753 3,649 2,427 2,079 1,919 
			 Leicestershire 2,241 2,363 2,317 2,443 2,187 1,954 
			 Lincolnshire 1,201 1,229 1,206 3,086 2,180 2,065 
			 London, City of 830 813 852 3,288 2,632 2,749 
			 Merseyside 4,477 4,494 4,516 2,473 2,414 2,403 
			 Metropolitan Police 31,460 32,610 33,367 4,608 4,228 * 
			 Norfolk 1,575 1,668 1,662 2,668 1,977 1,826 
			 Northamptonshire 1,309 1,326 1,343 2,657 2,133 1,834 
			 Northumbria 3,983 4,111 4,187 1,978 1,806 1,944 
			 North Wales 1,579 1,586 1,590 2,297 1,726 1,922 
			 North Yorkshire 1,581 1,460 1,486 1,895 1,697 2,686 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,369 2,408 2,409 2,125 2,271 2,514 
			 South Wales 3,244 3,146 3,148 2,104 2,050 1,963 
			 South Yorkshire 3,201 3,053 2,953 3,176 2,728 3,119 
			 Staffordshire 2,269 2,211 2,161 2,249 2,248 2,442 
			 Suffolk 1,319 1,291 1,246 2,687 2,212 1,685 
			 Surrey 1,944 1,872 1,890 3,051 2,480 2,579 
			 Sussex 3,075 3,196 3,213 1,934 2,065 2,080 
			 Thames Valley 4,186 4,317 4,434 3,288 * 2,428 
			 Warwickshire 1,036 994 973 3,624 3,352 2,406 
			 West Mercia 2,486 2,471 2,391 2,236 2,335 2,034 
			 West Midlands 8,412 8,637 8,626 2,871 2,466 2,081 
			 West Yorkshire 5,822 5,854 5,758 3,114 2,356 2,170 
			 Wiltshire 1,210 1,250 1,181 2,247 2,544 1,401 
			 * Data unavailable (1) Source of officer strength data: Home Office Annual Data Returns Note: It should be noted that some officers will claim no overtime during a year, but the Home Office does hold information on the number of these officers.

Police: Riot Control Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the number of occasions CS gas spray has been used in public order operations by police.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Police: Rural Areas

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the use of mobile police units in policing rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Decisions about the policing of rural areas, including the use of mobile police units, are operational matters and are the responsibility of the chief officer of the force concerned.

Police: Training

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officer recruits in England and Wales began residential training in each year since 2006.

Nick Herbert: No new police officer recruits have begun residential training since 2006.
	From 1 April 2006 a new qualification for police constables was introduced called the Diploma in Policing. This qualification is part of the overall Initial Policing Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), which is managed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) but delivered locally by each individual police force. The national residential sites for the delivery of police training closed, with effect from May 2006.

Police: Working Hours

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the number of police hours saved attributable to the introduction of personal digital assistants for police officers.

Nick Herbert: This information is not held centrally. However, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has been evaluating the effect that personal digital assistants have had on police officers' use of time. Findings should be available later in the year.

Prince William: Marriage

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to protect the wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton from terrorist threat;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had on security arrangements for the wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department held a number of discussions on the counter terrorism and public order policing arrangements for the royal wedding, including briefing from senior officers in the Metropolitan Police Service.
	However, it is our policy not to provide detailed information on the policing operation or security arrangements. To do so would risk compromising the integrity of those arrangements.

Security: Olympic Games 2012

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firms will be engaged to provide security services during the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick Herbert: Beyond the responsibilities of the police and security agencies, provision of security services during the 2012 Games are principally a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). On 21 March 2011, LOCOG announced that it had appointed G4S Secure Solutions Ltd as Official Security Service Provider for the Games. G4S's role will cover a range of security provision including search and screening at venue entrances, perimeter and mobile protection, and CCTV monitoring. Rapiscan Systems were appointed on 3 March 2011 as Official Provider of security screening solutions for the Games.

Security: Olympic Games 2012

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the readiness of the police and security forces responsible for public protection during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The Home Office's Olympic and Paralympic safety and security strategy, run by the police, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic games (LOCOG), the Olympic Delivery Authority and other partners, provides a framework for projects to safeguard and secure London 2012. The police and security services already invest significant resource into planning for security and other major risks to the UK, and have considerable expertise in dealing with both threats and incidents. Our approach to the games is intelligence-led and risk-based, giving us the flexibility to respond to any changes between now and 2012. Regular threat assessments inform our risk management process. Threat levels may change rapidly, and by basing the plans against a SEVERE threat level we maximise our flexibility.
	Last year the Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism, my noble Friend Baroness Neville-Jones, conducted an audit and review of Olympic security planning, and that concluded that that work is well placed. There is of course more work to be done, but an effective foundation has already been established. We have protected the Olympic security budget, which is in addition to core funding for the police and counter-terrorism.

Security: Olympic Games 2012

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) security forces on the performance indicators for private sector companies contracted to protect the public during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The use of private security companies to protect Olympic and Paralympic venues is principally a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). On 21 March 2011, LOCOG announced that it had appointed G4S Secure Solutions Ltd as Official Security Service provider for the Games.
	The Home Office is fully involved in monitoring and overseeing all aspects of Olympic preparations and together with the police work closely with LOCOG to provide advice on venue security requirements (including security personnel requirements) and to ensure integration with the wider safety and security operation. The Home Secretary and the Security Minister are closely involved in security planning and attend regular meetings and briefings on the wider security programme.

Security: Olympic Games 2012

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to evaluate the competence of private security companies contracted for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 3 May 2011
	The use of private security companies to protect Olympic and Paralympic venues is principally a matter for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). On 21 March 2011, LOCOG announced that it had appointed G4S Secure Solutions Ltd as Official Security Service provider for the Games. The Home Office and police work closely with LOCOG to provide advice on venue security requirements (including security personnel requirements) and to ensure integration with the wider safety and security operation. There are robust systems in place for monitoring and overseeing all aspects of Olympic preparations and the Home Office is fully involved in these.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regarding dissident republican terrorism;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had on the threat to the security of Great Britain from dissident republican terrorists.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, takes a keen interest in issues related to Residual Terrorist Groups in Northern Ireland, not least given the increase in the threat level posed by Northern Irish Related Terrorism to Great Britain since September 2010. She is regularly briefed on the threat and has meetings with officials and Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to discuss a range of related matters. Details of these meetings cannot be disclosed.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Justice Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive regarding dissident republican terrorism.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), takes a keen interest in issues related to Residual Terrorist Groups in Northern Ireland, not least given the increase in the threat level posed by Northern Irish Related Terrorism to Great Britain since September 2010. She is regularly briefed on the threat and has meetings with officials and Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to discuss a range of related matters.

Vetting

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many and what proportion of record checks processed by the Criminal Records Bureau chief police officers in each police force area had entered comments on otherwise clean reports in each year since 2002.

Nick Herbert: Only the enhanced level Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check will involve a check of information held locally by police forces.
	The number and proportion of certificates issued by the CRB for each financial year since 2002-03, where a chief officer of a police force has included information as ‘other relevant information’ and where no other information was included on the certificate can be found in the table as follows. Please note that the following figures represent the number of certificates issued and not the number of applicants as an individual may have been issued with more than one certificate.
	
		
			 Financial year Total certificate volumes Certificates which contained 'other relevant information only’ Proportion of certificates issued with 'other relevant information' only (percentage) 
			 2002-03 1,437,094 4,294 0.30 
			 2003-04 2,284,688 7,156 0.31 
			 2004-05 2,430,937 7,520 0.31 
			 2005-06 2,770,265 10,126 0.37 
			 2006-07 3,277,957 9,407 0.29 
			 2007-08 3,323,334 9,648 0.29 
			 2008-09 3,853,686 11,073 0.29 
			 2009-10 4,299,906 12,833 0.30 
			 2010-11 4,311,820 13,194 0.31

Video Conferencing

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will set a target to increase the use of video conferencing by her Department's officials as an alternative to staff travel to meetings.

Damian Green: The Home Office encourages staff to avoid unnecessary travel, including through the use of telephone and video conferencing, and to use the most cost-effective means where they do need to travel to a meeting. Telephone and video-conferencing arrangements are already used routinely across the Department and further improvements are under way to reduce costs and encourage greater use of these facilities. While there are no current plans to set targets for use of such facilities, the impact of these changes will be monitored.

Young Offenders

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by juvenile offenders in each year since 1997.

Nick Herbert: There are two sources of statistics on crime in England and Wales: police recorded crime and the British Crime Survey (BCS). Police recorded crime is based on offences reported to and recorded by the police. The BCS is a sample survey restricted to the population resident in households but includes crimes not reported to the police. While both sources provide estimates of the number of offences experienced by victims they cover, neither source can be used to provide counts of the characteristics (e.g. age) of offenders.
	Information on offenders dealt with by the criminal justice system is available from the Ministry of Justice. Latest figures including trends for juvenile offenders dealt with by formal police cautions, reprimands or warning, or criminal court proceedings in England and Wales appear in the annual statistical bulletin ‘Criminal Statistics: England and Wales 2009’ or ‘Youth Justice Board annual workload statistics 2009-10’. Copies of these reports are available from the House of Commons Library.

EDUCATION

Children: Day Care

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the average cost of child care (a) nationally and (b) in each region in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The Department for Education has no estimate of the average child care costs for 2011/12 to 2013/14. However, annual statistics on the average fees charged by providers are published by the Department in the Childcare and Early Years Survey of Providers. The 2008 report includes national and regional figures. Figures for 2010 will be published in the autumn.
	
		
			 Average hourly fees charged by region 
			 £ 
			  Full day care Full day care in children's centres Sessional Childminders 
			 Overall mean average hourly fee 3.50 3.30 2.30 3.60 
			 East midlands 3.60 — — (1)3.20 
			 East 3.50 — 2.30 3.60 
			 London 4,60 — 2.40 4.30 
			 North-east 3.20 — — 3.20 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3.00 — 2.20 3.20 
			 North-west 3.60 — 2.10 (1)3.00 
			 South-east 3.50 — 2.60 3.80 
		
	
	
		
			 South-west 3.30 — 2.30 (1)3.60 
			 West midlands 2.90 — — (1)3.00 
			 (1) Figures should be treated with caution due to a low number of providers in the subsample. Note: No regional figures are available for full day care in children's centres. No figures are provided in relation to sessional providers in some regions owing to insufficient sample size. Base: Module B childcare providers 2008. Childminders 2008.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he has allocated to discretionary learner support for (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 4 May 2011
	From September 2011, financial support for young people will be through the new 16-19 Bursary Fund, which will be worth £180 million each academic year. The following table shows the funding allocated to the 16-19 Bursary Fund—including transitional support for those currently in receipt of the education maintenance allowance—in each year of the current spending review period:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Transitional support 124.1 70.1 — — 
			 16-19 bursary fund 77 158.5 180 180 
			 Total 201.1 228.6 180.0 180.0

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse of reducing to £20 education maintenance allowance payments for the 2010-11 intake of students in the top payment band.

Nick Gibb: We estimate that just over 210,000 young people who received £30 a week EMA in 2010/11 will remain in learning in 2011/12 and be eligible for the £20 a week transitional payment for that academic year. Given the typical numbers of payments received by EMA recipients we estimate savings of around £56 million in the 2011/12 academic year through the reduction of the payment from £30 to £20.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students were enrolled on a course of study in 2009-10 will continue to receive the top rate of education maintenance allowance in the next academic year.

Nick Gibb: All students who received the maximum education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the first time in 2009/10 and who remain in eligible education or training in 2011/12 will continue to receive that level of payment to the end of the 2011/12 academic year. We estimate that around 80,000 young people will continue to receive the maximum EMA payment on this basis in 2011/12.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Capita will be responsible for administering (a) 16-19 education bursaries and (b) continuing education maintenance allowance payments for those students.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 4 May 2011
	The 16-19 bursary funding will be administered locally by schools, colleges and training organisations. The weekly payments made under the transitional support scheme will be administered by Capita, under the contract it holds with the Young People's Learning Agency.

Education: Finance

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 281W, on education: finance, whether he has made an estimate of the likely cost to (a) schools, (b) colleges and (c) other training providers of administering a discretionary support fund for 16 to 19 learners.

Nick Gibb: We do not anticipate that the cost to schools, colleges and training providers of administering the 16-19 Bursary Fund will be any greater, proportionally, than those incurred in relation to the current discretionary learner support fund. Schools, colleges and training providers are able currently to use up to 5% of their allocation of discretionary funds to meet the costs of administering the scheme; this will continue following the introduction of the 16-19 Bursary Fund. By way of comparison, the costs of administering the EMA scheme nationally are also around 5% of the total expenditure.

Further Education: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his assessment is of the effectiveness of conditional cash transfer schemes in post-16 education.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has not conducted a formal assessment of the general effectiveness of conditional cash transfer schemes in post-16 education. Evaluation and other evidence relating to the education maintenance allowance—an example of a conditional cash transfer scheme—was considered in making the decision to end that scheme and introduce, from September 2011, the new 16-19 Bursary Fund.

Further Education: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether 16 to 19 education bursaries will be paid directly to (a) the student or (b) a parent.

Nick Gibb: Under our proposed arrangements for the 16-19 Bursary Fund, schools, colleges and training providers will have discretion to award bursaries to students in ways that best fit individual needs and circumstances. We expect that, as under current learner support arrangements, support will usually be given directly to students.

Further Education: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average household income is of those who will receive a full bursary from his Department’s 16-19 education fund who are in care.

Nick Gibb: Young people in care will receive a bursary of £1,200 a year under the new arrangements. The Department does not hold information regarding their household income and we do not expect providers to ask for evidence of household income for young people in this vulnerable group.

Further Education: Free School Meals

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children (a) in receipt of and (b) not in receipt of free school meals went on to further education in each local authority area in each year since 2001.

Nick Gibb: The tables providing estimates of the number and percentage of young people who went on to further education at academic age 16(1), by local authority and free school meals (FSM) status in year 11, for each year between 2002/03 and 2009/10 have been placed in the House Libraries. The figures are based on young people in state-funded schools at age 15 for whom FSM status was known. The allocation to local authority is also based on the school attended at age 15.
	(1) Academic age is defined as age at the start of the academic year. Academic age 16-year-olds are usually in their first post-compulsory year.
	Two sets of tables are provided, based on slightly different definitions of further education. The first set of tables (1a and 1b) shows the number and proportion of young people who go on to full-time education at academic age 16. The second set (2a and 2b) shows participation based on a wider definition of further education that includes anyone studying for a qualification at academic age 16—which will additionally include those in part-time study and Apprenticeships.
	The estimates are derived from the Department for Education’s “Young People’s Matched Administrative Dataset” (YPMAD), which links several sources covering student attainment and participation between 16 and 19. The YPMAD is not the source of the Department’s official estimates of post-16 participation, but has been used in this instance because it has information on learners’ FSM status from year 11. Data prior to 2002/03 is not available.

GCE A-level

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of GCE A-level students were entered for GCE A-level (a) accounting, (b) art and design, (c) business studies, (d) communication and culture, (e) dance, (f) design and technology, (g) drama/theatre studies, (h) electronics, (i) film studies, (j) home economics, (k) information and communication technology, (l) law, (m) media studies, (n) music technology, (o) sports studies, (p) travel and tourism and (q) environmental studies in (i) comprehensive schools, (ii) selective schools, (iii) independent schools and (iv) sixth form colleges (A) nationally and (B) in each local education authority area in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of GCE A-level students were entered for at least one GCE A-level in (a) accounting, (b) art and design, (c) business studies, (d) communication and culture, (e) dance, (f) design and technology, (g) drama/theatre studies, (h) electronics, (i) film studies, (j) home economics, (k) information and communication technology, (l) law, (m) media studies, (n) music technology, (o) sports studies, (p) travel and tourism and (q) environmental studies in (i) comprehensive schools, (ii) selective schools, (iii) independent schools and (iv) sixth form colleges (A) nationally and (B) in each local education authority area in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of GCE A-level students were entered for at least two GCE A-levels in (a) accounting, (b) art and design, (c) business studies, (d) communication and culture, (e) dance, (f) design and technology, (g) drama/theatre studies, (h) electronics, (i) film studies, (j) home economics, (k) information and communication technology, (l) law, (m) media studies, (n) music technology, (o) sports studies, (p) travel and tourism and (q) environmental studies in (i) comprehensive schools, (ii) selective schools, (iii) independent schools and (iv) sixth form colleges (A) nationally and (B) in each local education authority area in the last year for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many and what proportion of GCE A-level students were entered for at least three GCE A-levels from (a) accounting, (b) art and design, (c) business studies, (d) communication and culture, (e) dance, (f) design and technology, (g) drama/theatre studies, (h) electronics, (i) film studies, (j) home economics, (k) information and communication technology, (l) law, (m) media studies, (n) music technology, (o) sports studies, (p) travel and tourism and (q) environmental studies in (i) comprehensive schools, (ii) selective schools, (iii) independent schools and (iv) sixth form colleges (A) nationally and (B) in each local education authority in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

GCSE

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many GCSEs undertaken by students in year 9 were included in school league table results for 2010.

Nick Gibb: All qualifications awarded to pupils by the end of Key Stage 4 (KS4) in 2009/10 are included in the 2010 School Performance Tables.
	Of the qualifications included in the 2010 tables for pupils who had completed KS4 studies that year, the equivalent of 106,889.7 GCSEs were taken in the academic year 2007/08. 36,978.5 of these are accounted for by short, full and double GCSEs courses, the others were equivalent qualifications such as BTECs.
	Some of these qualifications taken early may have subsequently been discounted later by higher grade or level achievements eg if a pupil re-sat a particular GCSE or obtained an AS level in the subject before the end of the Key Stage.

Music: Education

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in local authority funding on the provision of (a) music services, (b) music trusts and (c) other local music education providers.

Nick Gibb: On 7 February, in response to Darren Henley's review of music education, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced that the overall level of funding for music education in 2011-12 is £82.5 million matching the level of funding to local authorities for music in 2010-11. He also guaranteed that the application of a fairer funding formula would mean that no local authority will receive a cut in funding of more than 10% compared to the 2010-11 allocation and that this funding provided by the Department for Education could only be used to provide music education.
	Beyond this funding, it is a matter for local authorities to determine their levels of funding for music education. It is also a matter for local authorities to determine whether, using the total amount available for music, to fund music services, music trusts, or other local music education providers.

Music: Education

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he has allocated to implementing the national plan for music education.

Nick Gibb: The Government will give details of music funding when we publish the national plan for music education later this year.

Pupils: Dyslexia

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to local education authorities on assessing dyslexia among pupils in schools.

Sarah Teather: Guidance to local authorities on assessing children with special educational needs, including those with dyslexia, is given in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2001). Further information and guidance for schools on recognising and supporting children with dyslexia is also given in online and DVD resources provided as part of the Inclusion Development Programme.

Special Educational Needs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the support provided by local authorities for children with special needs.

Sarah Teather: In 2010-11 local authorities planned net expenditure on the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) was £5,477,522,509.
	This covers planned expenditure on special educational provision and specialist support for pupils with statements and provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN. It includes:
	funding, identified as “notional SEN”, of additional resources directly to nursery, primary and secondary schools to help them support children without SEN;
	the costs of additional resources provision and units in mainstream schools;
	provision of a range of maintained special schools;
	fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad;
	the costs of support for inclusion;
	the provision of the educational psychology service and of SEN specialist support services.
	It also includes a range of additional local authority functions that impact on children with SEN, including child protection, therapies and other health-related services, parent partnership, guidance and information and monitoring.

Students: Finance

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the awarding of a guaranteed bursary to students defined as vulnerable will affect their entitlement for Care to Learn funding.

Nick Gibb: The awarding of a guaranteed bursary of £1,200 to students from the most vulnerable groups will not affect their eligibility for support under the Care to Learn programme.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many armoured cars his Department (a) owns and (b) leases for use in Afghanistan.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for international Development (DFID) in Afghanistan owns five armoured vehicles which are pooled with other HMG owned vehicles for use by British embassy staff in Kabul. DFID owns a further 13 armoured vehicles which are assigned to specific projects and programmes. None of DFID's armoured vehicles are leased for use in Afghanistan.

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: In answering this question, the Department has assumed that the term "civil claims" refers to claims issued in England and Wales, in the courts of civil jurisdiction (the High Court and the county courts). The figures provided do not therefore include employment-related claims pursued through the employment tribunals.
	There have been no payments made by the Department for International Development for damages, claimant costs or defendant costs in respect of civil claims in any of the last three years.

Departmental Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be spent on staff pensions in each of the next five years.

Alan Duncan: The proportion of the total Department for International Development (DFID) budget spent on staff pension contributions in 2010-11 is estimated to be 0.21%. Future contributions will be dependent both on the level of contributions and the number of staff making them.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take as part of the G8 commitment to provide additional funding for maternal and child health up to 2015 to address the global shortage of skilled birth attendants and health workers.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government's ‘Choices for Women’ Framework for Results outlines how the UK will save the lives of at least 50,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies by 2015. The framework has a focus on increasing access to skilled health workers and commits to supporting at least two million safe deliveries and ensuring long-lasting improvements in maternity services.
	Department for International Development (DFID) country programmes are currently finalising their operational plans for the next four years which will contribute to the Framework for Results commitments. These plans are being released via the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Media-Room/Publications/?p=OP
	and it is anticipated that this exercise will be completed by the end of May.

Developing Countries: New Businesses

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department provides to people in developing countries to help set up their own businesses.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development provides a range of support which helps people in developing countries set up their own businesses. We are working on reform of developing countries' investment climates to reduce the 'costs' of doing business and increase the provision of loans and technical business skills to entrepreneurs and prospective business people.
	For example UK aid has provided loans to 300,000 women from low-income communities in Pakistan to set up small enterprises and build their assets and supports a programme in Rwanda which has helped to cut the time it takes to register a business from 16 to three days.

Developing Countries: Solar Power

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support the use of solar lamps in developing countries.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting a range of programmes to stimulate investment in the renewable technologies that can be life-changers for the world's poorest people, including solar lamps. For example, in India we are promoting solar lighting in remote rural areas through the Orissa Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme. Under this pilot, tribal woman are trained to fabricate and maintain solar lighting for homes, schools and streets. A feasibility study has been prepared for scale-up in 400 non-electrified Indian villages. Additionally, we are also about to start a five-year partnership with the Energy and Resources Institute which is focused on scaling up access to energy in Indian rural areas, including solar lighting.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided information to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) on the effects on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals of the operations of businesses supported by the ECGD.

Stephen O'Brien: All applicants for Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) support involving a low income or heavily indebted country are required to assess a project's contribution to the economic and social development of the recipient country. The Department for International Development (DFID) reviews this proposal and checks the validity of the assessment. This is in line with our commitment under the OECD, of which further details can be found at:
	http://www.oecd.org/department/0,3355,en_2649_34179_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
	For a list of projects assessed by DFID since summer 2006, I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 29 March 2011, Official Report, column 318W, to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Dr Whiteford).

Overseas Aid

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria he applies to decisions on the grant of aid to developing countries.

Alan Duncan: The recently undertaken bilateral aid review has refocused the aid programme in fewer countries so that we can target our support where it will make the biggest difference and where the need is greatest. As a result, we will focus on programmes where the British Government are well placed to make a significant impact.

World Bank: Coal Fired Power Stations

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on World Bank support for unabated coal-fired power stations.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK strongly supports the World Bank's proposed shift away from lending for coal-fired power stations towards cleaner energy sources where there is a greater need for concessional lending.
	We want to see the bank helping countries explore all reasonable alternative options to coal before concluding that it is the appropriate option. Where alternatives are not feasible we want to see efforts being made to ensure the cleanest possible technology is used.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anti-Semitism: Germany

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of levels of anti-Semitism in Germany since May 2010; what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart about anti-Semitism in Germany; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: I have not received any reports of anti-Semitism in Germany since May 2010, nor have I had any recent discussions with my German counterpart on this issue.
	The UK is committed to fighting discrimination and intolerance. Combating all forms of racism remains an important part of the Government's human rights policy. In December 2010 we published the Government's first progress update report on our work to take forward the recommendations of the 2006 all-party parliamentary inquiry into anti-Semitism.

Chile: Press

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Government of Chile in respect of journalists at the La Nacion newspaper.

Jeremy Browne: We have not made any representations to the Chilean Government on this matter.

Chile: Press

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on media plurality in Chile.

Jeremy Browne: There is a degree of concentration of media ownership in Chile, and the two main press conglomerates (El Mercurio and La Tercera) manage more than 70% of the country's newspapers. Nonetheless Chile enjoys an independent press and functioning democratic political system which safeguards the rights to freedom of speech, of expression and of the press.

COE Commissioner for Human Rights: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what voluntary contributions the Government has made to the costs of the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights in (a) 2010 and (b) each of the previous five years.

David Lidington: The UK's voluntary contributions are given in the following table.
	
		
			 United Kingdom voluntary contributions (2005-10) 
			  Programme € 
			 2005 HR Commissioner Office 47,349.05 
			  European Youth Foundation 7,174.63 
			  Support to the programme “Ballons rouges” 28,814.29 
			  Programme Moneyval 43,050.00 
			  In-Service training programme for educational staff 1,894.16 
			  Seminar on counterfeit medicines 2005 14,630.58 
			  GRECO 105,000.00 
			  Total 247,912.71 
			    
			 2006 Anti-money laundering measures 43,551,00 
			  Bern Convention 14,503.26 
			  HR Commissioner Office 25,335.75 
			  In-Service training programme for educational staff 26,123.00 
			  European Youth Foundation 12,584.98 
			  Language policies 15,179.99 
			  Project “HEREIN” 29,907.50 
			  Total 167,185.48 
			    
			 2007 HR Commissioner activities 42,859.20 
			  Human Rights training of Lawyers 71,281.79 
			  In-Service training programme for educational staff 10,481.06 
			  Total 124,622.05 
			    
			 2008 Activities for promoting the effective observance and full enjoyment of Human Rights 62,532.48 
			  Modernisation of tools and methods of the supervision of execution of the ECHR judgments 21,807.00 
			  Total 84,339.48 
			    
			 2009 Enhance the Commissioner's capacity to respond rapidly to actual or potential crisis situations 20,277.68 
			  Promoting and monitoring biological diversity policies through the Bern Convention 27,384.21 
			  Total 47,661.89 
			    
			 2010 Fight against discrimination 43,195.00 
			  Promoting and monitoring biological diversity policies through the Bern Convention 11,325.03 
			  Total 54,520.03

Diplomatic Service

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the future of his Department's global diplomatic network.

David Lidington: Our plans for the future of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) network are now being finalised. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, will make a statement to the House later this week. But there will be no strategic shrinkage in our global presence. The FCO network is an essential part of the UK's economic recovery and will continue to play a vital role in maintaining our influence in the world.

Germany: Nazism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on neo-Nazi activity in Germany; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: I have not received any recent reports on neo-Nazi activity in Germany.

Osama bin Laden

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the assistance provided to Osama bin Laden by Pakistan in the past five years.

Alistair Burt: Pakistan has made huge sacrifices—both military and civilian—in the fight against terrorism. Both Pakistan and the UK have benefitted from recent action against militants taken by Pakistan. As the Prime Minister has already made clear, “searching questions” will need to be asked about what sort of support system Bin Laden had in Pakistan, and we need those questions answered. We would call on Pakistan to use Osama Bin Laden's death as an opportunity to bring greater stability and peace to Pakistan; and for Pakistan to make even greater strides in the fight against militancy.

Osama bin Laden

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what time he was notified of the US military operation against Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad; and whether his Department was involved in any aspects of the planning or execution of the operation.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, was made aware of the US operation against Osama bin Laden soon after the Prime Minister was informed, early on the morning of Monday 2 May 2011. The UK works very closely with the US military and intelligence services but we had no involvement in the planning or execution of this operation.

Osama bin Laden

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to prevent any reprisal attack on UK interests overseas following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office constantly reviews the threat of international terrorism to British nationals and UK interests overseas, working closely with the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), security and intelligence agencies and our network of overseas posts. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also contributes to the cross-Government effort to reduce the risk of terrorism. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that al-Qaeda and its affiliates will attempt acts of reprisal.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has therefore encouraged British nationals to regularly check our travel advice, to monitor the media carefully for local reactions, to be vigilant and exercise caution in public places, and to avoid demonstrations. He has also asked all our embassies and high commissions overseas to review their security and to make sure that vigilance is heightened.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister's statement on 3 May 2011, Official Report, columns 453-55 set out some of the Government's assessment of the situation in Pakistan.
	Pakistan is one of this Government's most important foreign policy, defence and development priorities. A stable, prosperous and democratic Pakistan, at ease with its regional neighbours and equipped with the will and capacity to tackle violent extremism, is of direct and critical importance to the security of the UK and its interests.
	Pakistan is currently dealing with major domestic challenges, including how to: tackle a large militant insurgency in its border regions; achieve democratic and economic reform; and recover from the aftermath of last year's devastating floods. In addition, the Government of Pakistan are now grappling with the aftermath of the death of Osama Bin Laden. We will work with Pakistan's coalition Government in facing these challenges.
	Pakistan's relationship with Afghanistan is pivotal to UK interests there. We are working with Pakistan to achieve our shared goals of lasting stability and security in Afghanistan. As the Prime Minister said in his statement on 3 May 2011:
	“The death of Bin Laden provides a new opportunity for Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together to achieve stability on both sides of the border”.
	Pakistan's relationship with India is also crucial for stability in the region. We welcome recent contact and discussions between India and Pakistan, including during the cricket World Cup semi-finals in Mohali. The pace, scope and substance of dialogue is for the two countries to decide.
	Pakistan is a partner in tackling militancy, terrorism and extremism. We pay tribute to the sacrifices of ordinary Pakistanis and the members of the Pakistani armed forces, and the courage they have shown in tackling violent extremism. This is a shared fight, in which Pakistan is on the front line. We offer Pakistan our full support.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the Vatican City State authorities in respect of the EU travel ban on President Mugabe and other representatives of the Zimbabwe regime; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The Holy See is not a member of the EU. It conducts its own foreign policy and has a bilateral relationship with Zimbabwe. The UK did not make representations to the Holy See over President Mugabe's travel on this occasion.
	Italy is bound by the Lateran treaty not to inhibit the passage of official visitors to the Vatican. The visa issued by Italy to President Mugabe was time-limited for the event in question and valid only for Italian territory. Our ambassador in Harare did however discuss this issue with his Italian colleague and other counterparts to ensure consistency with the EU Common Position.

HEALTH

Allied Health Professions

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has for the involvement of representatives of the allied health professions in (a) commissioning and (b) service provision of public health at local level following the transfer of public health responsibility to local government; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what account he plans to take of the role of allied health professionals in public health in preparing advice and guidance to local government on their new responsibility for public health; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Our plans are for Directors of Public Health to have responsibility for leadership on public health at a local level and, through partnership working and collaboration with key partners, for example allied health professionals, local authorities will be able take innovative approaches to promoting and protecting the health and well-being of their local communities.
	A wide range of professions, including allied health professionals, play a very important role in public health. The Department will ensure that any advice and guidance to local authorities on these new responsibilities reflects the multidisciplinary nature of public health.

Allied Health Professions

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he has taken of the role of allied health professionals in public health in preparing for the transfer of public health responsibilities to local government; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We have enjoyed good involvement with representatives from key allied health professional bodies. Departmental officials working on public health commissioning, funding and outcomes policies met with colleagues from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, and the British Dietetic Association who together represented the Allied Health Professionals Federation. Following this meeting, responses were submitted by a number of allied health professional representative bodies to the consultation on the public health White Paper and associated documents. This consultation closed on 31 March and we will take the views expressed by these and all other stakeholders into consideration. Government's response to the consultation will be published in the summer of this year. The Government are committed to developing a public health work force strategy for consultation in autumn 2011 and have established a working group to advise and support this process. The Chair of the National Allied Health Professional Advisory Board is a member of the Public Health Workforce Strategy Group.
	Following the end of the White Paper consultation period, the Department continues to involve the full range of health professionals, representatives of voluntary sector and the public in developing new public health arrangements. The Department regularly publishes updates on its proposals and plans on the Department's website and writes directly to national health service organisations, local government and others.

Aspartame

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to commission research to investigate a potential relationship between levels of aspartame consumption and adverse health reactions in children.

Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that aspartame has been extensively tested and reviewed for safety by independent experts at national, European and international level and found to be safe at current levels of use. Despite this, some people consider they react badly to consuming the sweetener. The FSA has therefore commissioned a pilot study focusing on people who have self-reported bad reactions to the sweetener in order to understand why this is the case. Participants in the study will be at least 18 but the results should be applicable to people of any age.

Blood: CJD

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have contracted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease as a result of receiving (a) contaminated blood via blood transfusion and (b) non-leucodepleted contaminated blood via blood transfusion.

Anne Milton: There have been three cases of clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) presumed to be associated with blood transfusion. These have occurred in people who have received blood transfusions from donors who themselves went on to develop clinical vCJD after they had made the blood donation. None of these patients were transfused after 1999, and all received non-leucodepleted blood.

Blood: Contamination

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) others in his Department on the implications of Lord Archer's report on contaminated blood and blood products in respect of compensation for future recipients of contaminated blood.

Anne Milton: The Archer Inquiry restricted itself to investigating the events in the 1970s and 1980s that led to the infection of haemophilia patients and others with HIV and/or hepatitis C by national health service supplied contaminated blood or blood products, and made recommendations regarding financial support only to those infected at that time.
	We have discussed the implications of Lord Archer's report in the light of provisions that should be made for people who contracted HIV and/or hepatitis C from contaminated blood.

CJD

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in England in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Research and Surveillance Unit (NCJDRSU) has provided the following information about deaths from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). This information is available on NCJDRSU website at:
	www.cjd.ed.ac.uk
	
		
			 United Kingdom definite and probable vCJD deaths 2005 to 2010 
			  Number of Deaths 
			 2005 5 
			 2006 5 
			 2007 5 
			 2008 1 
			 2009 3 
			 2010 3

Doctors: Working Hours

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the NHS European Office social partner on the effects of the European Working Time Directive on (a) hospital doctors and (b) acute medical staff;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the future implementation of the European Working Time Directive for (a) hospital doctors and (b) acute medical staff;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects on (a) patient care and (b) staff performance, welfare and training of the implementation of the European Working Time Directive for hospital doctors and acute medical staff; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: I and departmental officials work very closely with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on the application of the Working Time Directive to the United Kingdom Healthcare sector, meeting as appropriate. This directive is once again being considered by the European Commission and both Departments agree that we should pursue discussions in Europe with the intention of maintaining the individual’s right to opt-out of the 48 hour working week while seeking greater flexibility particularly in the areas of on-call time and compensatory rest. This strategy is in-keeping with the commitment in the Coalition Agreement to work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive.
	The Department engaged with the national health service European Office as they formulated their response to the European Commission’s second stage Social Partner consultation on Working Time and, also, when the NHS European Office provided their contribution to wider social partner responses (such as those of the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest and the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers’ Association).
	The NHS European Office are members of the Working Time Directive stakeholder group co-chaired by the Department and BIS. This group has convened to review the proposals put forward by the European Commission as part of its second stage consultation on Working Time.
	Ensuring service rotas are compliant and assessing the effects implementation of the directive is having on patients and staff is the responsibility of individual NHS trusts.
	In response to concerns about the directive, Medical Education England (MEE) commissioned an independent review chaired by Professor Sir John Temple. The review’s findings concluded that high quality training can be delivered in 48 hours but traditional models of training and service delivery waste training opportunities and will need to change. Additionally, it demonstrates that far more can be done to improve medical training by changing working practices and taking advantage of the increase in consultants working in the NHS.
	The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has asked MEE to take the lead in implementing changes to improve training practices in line with the aspirations in Sir John Temple’s report ‘Time for Training’ (2010). In response, MEE is taking forward a detailed implementation plan, ‘Better Training, Better Care’.

Health Professions: Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many places at each university in England NHS London commissioned for nursing and allied health professional education in (a) pre-registration education, (b) post-registration education and (c) continuing professional education in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; how many such places he expects there to be in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13 and (C) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Information on nursing, midwifery and allied health professional places at universities is not collected by the Department. It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities to individually manage contracts with higher education institutions based on local workforce planning and education commissioning decisions. The hon. Member may wish to contact NHS London for the information requested.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to improve the early detection and treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Simon Burns: It is for local national health service commissioners to determine the needs of their populations and ensure that appropriate services are available.
	NHS Improvement is working with the NHS in undertaking a programme of work to improve the detection and management of atrial fibrillation. This includes:
	raising awareness of the condition by working closely with The Stroke Association who are planning a campaign on the subject this year;
	promoting the use of the Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF) tool, which is designed to aid the identification of patients already known to have atrial fibrillation who are at increased risk of stroke and not on warfarin;
	commissioning improvements to the GRASP-AF tool to include the latest clinical risk algorithms and the latest management options; and
	working with the National Patient Safety Agency to create an anti-coagulation guide.
	The Department has also responded to the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence consultation on the quality outcomes framework with suggestions to revise the indicators promoting the evidence-based management of the stroke risk in atrial fibrillation.

Liphophilic Biotoxins

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether animals have been used for detection of liphophilic biotoxins in the UK since 10 January 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has responsibility for the monitoring of marine biotoxins in shellfish, that animals have been used for the detection of lipophilic biotoxins in the United Kingdom since 10 January 2011.
	This testing is required by European Union legislation to protect consumers from the risk of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. However, recent changes to the legislation require member states to use an alternative chemical method by 31 December 2014. The FSA has advised that a chemical method has been validated and will be implemented as soon as technical issues associated with the practical application of the method have been resolved. They expect to implement the new method by autumn this year.

Lyme Disease

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the risks associated with Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections.

Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) issues an annual press release to raise public awareness of ticks, tick bites and Lyme disease. The press release, issued this year on 14 April, is aimed at those living in or visiting areas where ticks are present, and gives advice on prevention of tick bites and what to do if you are bitten. This complements advice for the public and clinicians published on the HPA's website.
	The HPA has also produced a leaflet in conjunction with The Royal Parks and New Forest District Council on ticks and Lyme disease. The leaflet gives information on identifying ticks, tick removal, Lyme disease symptoms and prevention of tick bites. It is available at:
	www.royalparks.org.uk/docs/richmondpark/Tick%20Leaflet%20%20final%20April%202010.PDF

Malaria

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported cases of malaria there have been in the UK in the last 12 months; what assessment he has made of rates of takeup of preventive medication for malaria; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In 2010, 1,761 imported cases of malaria were reported. None were acquired in the United Kingdom. Malaria figures are published annually.
	4,148,701 prescriptions for malaria medication were dispensed in England in 2010. Medication used for treatment and prevention cannot be separated, as many drugs are used for both purposes. No assessment of rates of take up of preventive medication for malaria has been undertaken as it is not possible to establish this.

Medical Equipment: Hygiene

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department’s policy is on the sterility of (a) medical and (b) in vitro diagnostic devices for the containment or culture of specimens.

Anne Milton: The choice of devices for collecting or culturing specimens is made locally. Sterility is not required for the containment or culture of all specimens.

Multiple Sclerosis: Nurses

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to maintain the level of specialist nurse services for multiple sclerosis.

Paul Burstow: Specialist nurses provide an important source of support and advice to patients with multiple sclerosis and enable many patients to manage their condition effectively. It is the responsibility of local health bodies to make decisions on the funding of multiple sclerosis nurse posts.

Muscular Dystrophy

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the NHS East of England Specialised Commissioning Group in recruiting and appointing three neuromuscular care advisors for the region; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 3 May 2011, Official Report, column 704W.
	Further to that answer, we are advised that the posts will be advertised with a view to suitable candidates commencing the roles by the end of summer 2011.

NHS: Sustainable Development

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of the NHS sustainable development unit in the last year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The NHS Sustainable Development Unit is hosted by the East of England Strategic Health Authority. Departmental officials have been advised by the strategic health authority that the annual expenditure of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit for the financial year 2010-11 was £505,706. This is the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Organs: Donors

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to join the Organ Donor Register.

Anne Milton: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) undertakes a variety of activities, working with a number of partners in the private, public and third sectors to encourage more people to join the organ donor register (ODR). this includes national initiatives such as joining the ODR when registering with a doctor.
	Earlier this year NHSBT ran a campaign targeted specifically at black and minority ethnic (BME) communities highlighting the importance of people from black and Asian communities joining the ODR and discussing their donation wishes with family members. The campaign included a tour of shopping centres in areas with a high concentration of black and Asian communities, visits to Hindu, Sikh and Muslim faith organisations and places of worship, advertising on black and Asian television channels, radio stations and newspapers, a social media campaign and a poster display in community shops and outlets.
	NHSBT is also working in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency prompting people to make a choice about joining the ODR when applying for their driving licence on-line. If successful the approach may be rolled out to other areas.
	During National Transplant Week, an annual event to be held 4-10 July 2011, NHSBT will work with partner organisations to plan activity under the theme of “what are you waiting for?”. The campaign will highlight how quick and easy it is to join the ODR. In the Department of Health in June 2011, donation events in London and Leeds will answer questions about donation and encourage Department of Health staff to join the Organ Donor Register.

St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations the North West Strategic Health Authority has received from St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust on (a) the financial conditions the Trust has been required to meet in order to become a foundation trust and (b) the potential effect of such conditions on patient services.

Simon Burns: Monitor (the Independent Regulator of NHS foundation trusts) wrote to national health service trusts, foundation trusts (FTs) and strategic health authorities to set out its revised financial assumptions on 27 April 2011. All NHS trusts applying for FT status will, as part of their application, be required to demonstrate how they will meet these financial requirements while at the same time ensuring the quality of its services meets national standards.
	Work on the Tripartite Formal Agreement between St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, North West strategic health authority and the Department has not yet been completed. When it has been finalised and the agreement has been signed by all parties, the trust will publish the agreement on their website. The agreement will identify the issues the trust faces and the actions that will establish them as sustainable providers of high quality health care services. These developments will enable them to meet the demanding requirements needed to achieve FT status. Any proposals for service changes will be subject to the normal process of consultation.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts (PCTs) are reviewing their support for Life After Stroke Services; which PCTs have reduced their support for such services for 2011-12; and what the size of any reduction is in each such case.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he provides to local authorities to ensure their employees receive training in dealing with those who have communication difficulties following a stroke; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of individual social care employers (including local authorities) to ensure that their staff are appropriately trained for the work that they do. This may involve partnership working with the national health service. The Department encourages employers to upskill their existing staff to improve standards within social care.
	Skills for Care, the Sector Skills Council, provides training materials in communications skills for all social care staff. These are included within the Common Induction Standards. Social Care Institute for Excellence has also produced a module on verbal communications on Social Care TV—a Department funded e-learning resource for social care staff.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to require that organisations which engage with his Department on tobacco control issues disclose whether they are linked to or receive funding from (a) the pharmaceutical industry and (b) the public purse.

Anne Milton: The Government are under obligation to protect tobacco control from the vested interests of the tobacco industry, under The World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
	Our policy on this is set out in Chapter 10 of “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England”. This does not extend beyond the tobacco industry and the Department, as with all other policy areas, engages with a wide range of stakeholders including the pharmaceutical industry, organisations in receipt of funding from the pharmaceutical industry and organisations in receipt of funding from the public purse.
	A copy of the plan has already been placed in the Library.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Care Tax Credit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of households (a) with parents who are reliant on formal child care in order to work but whose child care costs will be higher than the amount allocated for child care within universal credit, (b) with parents with children who will be subject to the overall benefit cap and (c) with parents with children who will be affected by both (i) high cost child care and (ii) the benefit cap.

Maria Miller: The Government have announced that support for child care costs will be provided in universal credit by an additional element, and we are considering what rates to set. We will match the same total amount of funding as in the current system, and are looking at how best this support can be allocated. In particular, we would like child care to support all working parents, so that those working under 16 hours can benefit. We are looking at different options and will be discussing them with stakeholders.
	We estimate that approximately 50,000 households are likely to be impacted by the introduction of the benefit cap of which about 95% will include children.
	The estimated number of households affected by the benefit cap is based on survey data using the Department for Work and Pension's Policy Simulation Model. Sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results from analysis of child care costs incurred by those households affected by the benefit cap.

Child Support Agency

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many consolatory payments in respect of errors and maladministration were made to clients by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years; what the total amount paid out in consolatory payments was in each such year; and what the average sum offered to clients as consolatory payments was in each such year.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many consolatory payments in respect of errors and maladministration were made to clients by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years; what the total amount paid out in consolatory payments was in each such year; and what the average sum offered to clients as consolatory payments was in each such year.
	Consolatory payments are compensatory amounts paid to parents on an ex-gratia basis where delays or administrative errors have resulted in lower than expected service standards. Compensation payments for lost interest are also classed as a consolatory payment.
	The following table details the volume and value of Consolatory Payments (including interest payments) made in each of the last five years; including the average sum paid in each year. This information is published in the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's Annual Report and Accounts.
	
		
			 Financial year Consolatory payments—Value (£ million) Consolatory payments—Volume Average payment (£) 
			 2006-07 3.709 15,420 241 
			 2007-08 4.729 14,456 327 
			 2008-09 4.341 14,878 292 
			 2009-10 3.006 12,070 249 
			 2010-11(1) L787 7,879 227 
			 (1)The 2010/11 figures are unaudited and therefore may be subject to change. 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many responses his Department received to its consultation Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility; and how many of these were from (a) parents, (b) third sector organisations and (c) others.

Maria Miller: We have received a total of 652 direct responses to the consultation exercise. Of these:
	578 responses were from individual members of the public;
	66 responses were from organisations, including third sector organisations;
	six responses were from honourable Members; and
	two responses were from noble Lords.
	In addition we have received a further 368 letters from hon. Members.

Child: Maintenance

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Government Response to the Work and Pensions Committee's Third Report, Session 2009-10, on the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the Child Support Agency's Operational Improvement Plan, if he will provide details of the range of people recruited from the private and voluntary sectors to assist the Commission to ensure that the future scheme learns from the lessons of the past.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government Response to the Work and Pensions Committee's Third Report of Session 2009-10 on the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and the Child Support Agency's Operational Improvement Plan, if he will provide details of the range of people recruited from the private and voluntary sectors to assist the Commission to ensure that the future scheme learns from the lessons of the past.
	One of the initial objectives when setting up the Commission was to recruit new talent, skills and thinking from other sectors primarily for head office functions including strategic planning and the design of the new child maintenance system.
	The job designs and reward packages for the roles on offer were developed to attract expertise from the private and voluntary sectors—salaries offered in line with market rates, relevant to the specific role rather, than a grade and inclusive of all benefits. The approach has been very successful in attracting the right people with the skills needed. The total number of external recruits since November 2008, including temporary posts is 297 who have come from backgrounds including banking, insurance, management consultancy and the infrastructure sector as well as the voluntary sector.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Chris Grayling: DWP does not own any buildings. The DWP estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Telereal Trillium under a PFI contract known as “PRIME”.
	The proceeds from the sale of Department of Social Security buildings were released to HM Treasury in April 1998, and a further transfer occurred in December 2003 when PRIME was expanded to include the Employment Service estate after the formation of the DWP.
	However for the hon. Member’s information I have attached a list of current DWP locations with post codes. This information will shortly be published on Data.gov.uk via the Cabinet Office.

Disability Living Allowance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland have been in receipt of disability living allowance since 1992; how many of these have had their award reviewed under (a) the Benefits Integrity Project, (b) periodic reviews and (c) the Right Payment Programme since 1997; and how many of those reviewed had their award adjusted.

Maria Miller: We are unable to tell you how many people in Scotland have been in receipt of DLA since 1992; records only go back to 1996. The information that is available is in the following table:
	
		
			 Region—Scotland 
			 As at August each year: Cases in payment 
			 1996 203,000 
			 1997 222,900 
			 1998 232,700 
			 1999 239,100 
			 2000 247,600 
			 2001 260,800 
			 2002 271,100 
		
	
	
		
			 2003 284,300 
			 2004 295,000 
			 2005 303,700 
			 2006 310,200 
			 2007 318,800 
			 2008 327,400 
			 2009 337,200 
			 2010 343,800 
			 Note: Totals have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 and show the number of people in receipt of DLA, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. Source: August 1996 to August 2001: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% sample, (the proportions derived have been applied to the overall 100% total for DLA); August 2002 to August 2010: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	We are also unable to tell you how many people in Scotland have since 1997 had their award reviewed under (a) the Benefit Integrity Project, (b) periodic reviews and (c) the Right Payment Programme. Nor can we tell you how many of those reviewed had their award adjusted. This is because Management Information statistics have not been set up to go down to the level of detail that would enable us to identify customers living in Scotland.

Disability Living Allowance: Autism

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people with autism who are in receipt of the middle rate of disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available relating to learning difficulties is in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of people in receipt of the middle care rate of disability living allowance where the main disabling condition is learning difficulties—August 2010 
			  All Middle Care Rate 
			 All 3,176,200 1,059,800 
			 Learning difficulties 367,400 181,000 
			 Notes: 1. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of DLA claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, or disabling condition (DLA) is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100% total for the benefit. This has been done here. 2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Case load totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude those with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Prior to October 2008 the codes used to record disabling condition for DLA included a category called "Learning Disability" which includes the following disabling conditions: ‘F86’—'Down's Syndrome', 'F87'—'Fragile X syndrome', ‘F90'—'Other Learning Disability', 'F91'—'Autism', 'F92'—'Asperger Syndrome', 'F94'—'Retts Disorder.' 5. In October 2008, new codes were introduced which provided more detail with respect to disabling conditions. The "Learning Difficulty" group was separated out into six categories, one of which is "Autism". 6. Codes for existing DLA claimants were not updated, so therefore the number of cases with new codes is extremely small compared to the total numbers in receipt of DLA. Therefore it is not yet possible to produce a reliable estimate of the total number of people claiming DLA with a main disabling condition of “Autism”. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

Disability Living Allowance: Parkinson's Disease

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of disability living allowance in the North East who are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease; and what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on claimants diagnosed with Parkinson's disease of proposed changes to disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Number of people in receipt of disability living allowance in the North East where the main disabling condition is Parkinson's disease—August 2010 
			  All 
			 All 178,200 
			 Parkinson's disease 900 
			 Notes: 1. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling condition of DLA claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, or disabling condition (DLA) is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100% total for the benefit. This has been done here. 2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Case load totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude those with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% sample. 
		
	
	From 2013 we will introduce a new benefit, personal independence payment, to replace disability living allowance for people of working age. Key to personal independence payment will be a more objective assessment of individual need. We have been developing our proposals for the new assessment in collaboration with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability.
	The assessment will take account of needs arising from physical, sensory, mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments. We believe it is right for the assessment to look at disabled people as individuals and not simply label them by their health condition or impairment. Therefore the assessment is being designed to consider an individual's personal circumstances and the support they need, rather than basing eligibility on any medical condition. Before finalising the assessment criteria we will be testing them and assessing their impact.

Housing Benefit

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Teesside and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency claimed housing benefit in each of the last 10 years.

Steve Webb: The information requested for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency is not available.
	A copy of the available information on HB recipients has been placed in the Library.

Housing Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received (a) housing benefit but not council tax benefit, (b) council tax benefit but not housing benefit and (c) housing benefit and council tax benefit in each region in each year since 2007.

Steve Webb: The following tables contain tabulations of housing benefit and council tax benefit data by Government Office Region and benefit combination (i.e. the number of claimants in receipt of either housing benefit, council tax benefit or both) since 2008. Earlier data held by the Department for Work and Pensions are based on clerical returns from local authorities and do not contain this level of detail.
	
		
			 November 2008 
			  HB only CTB only HB and CTB 
			 All 456,920 1,434,370 3,715,020 
			 North East 13,930 78,060 218,520 
			 North West 46,930 204,060 485,580 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 33,270 136,370 327,930 
			 East Midlands 23,050 111,740 237,690 
			 West Midlands 34,860 163,590 350,900 
			 East of England 34,530 120,920 284,390 
			 London 100,890 118,940 610,250 
			 South East 61,880 142,860 377,560 
			 South West 41,730 119,610 258,130 
			 Wales 20,150 98,770 190,680 
			 Scotland 45,700 139,450 373,420 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2009 
			  HB only CTB only HB and CTB 
			 All 466,130 1,464,690 3,786,120 
			 North East 14,210 80,160 222,550 
			 North West 48,890 207,880 488,610 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 33,010 140,280 338,420 
			 East Midlands 23,620 114,090 241,880 
			 West Midlands 36,170 167,420 357,790 
			 East of England 35,370 123,070 289,110 
			 London 103,860 121,350 615,200 
			 South East 62,600 146,690 388,070 
			 South West 42,500 123,630 268,110 
			 Wales 20,980 100,420 192,960 
			 Scotland 44,940 139,710 383,430 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2010 
			  HB only CTB only HB and CTB 
			 All 519,990 1,545,710 4,131,120 
			 North East 15,720 85,110 236,240 
			 North West 53,260 219,050 535,040 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 37,640 151,240 364,420 
			 East Midlands 27,550 121,520 269,460 
			 West Midlands 41,320 177,250 390,080 
			 East of England 41,050 130,990 320,320 
			 London 118,450 128,540 662,500 
			 South East 70,150 156,970 430,900 
			 South West 48,340 129,510 296,270 
			 Wales 21,320 105,250 210,660 
			 Scotland 45,190 140,310 415,220 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2011 
			  HB only CTB only HB and CTB 
			 All 535,860 1,528,330 4,297,610 
			 North East 16,110 83,530 244,090 
			 North West 55,780 218,500 556,230 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 36,990 147,800 385,350 
			 East Midlands 28,000 120,410 280,520 
			 West Midlands 42,380 175,570 402,820 
			 East of England 41,530 130,530 333,590 
			 London 124,560 125,630 691,640 
			 South East 72,240 155,550 448,540 
			 South West 48,370 129,140 311,910 
			 Wales 22,030 104,390 219,000 
			 Scotland 47,870 137,290 423,920 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 5. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data are available monthly from November 2008 and January 2011 is the most recent available. 6. Council tax benefit figures exclude any single adult rebate cases. 7. Figures are at the second Thursday in each month provided. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE)

Housing Benefit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what equality impact assessment he undertook on the effect of the provisions of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2010 on people aged between 25 and 34 years.

Steve Webb: An equality impact assessment has been carried out and will be published in May.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Employment to the Public Bill Committee on the Welfare Reform Bill of 31 March 2011, Official Report, column 335, how many of the 3,500 families receiving more than £25,000 a year in housing benefit are employed; and how many such tenancies are occupied by (a) a couple with (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five and (vi) more than five children under 18 and (b) a lone parent with (A) one, (B) two, (C) three, (D) four, (E) five and (F) more than five children under 18.

Steve Webb: Of the 3,510 housing benefit claimants under local housing allowance rules with a weekly award exceeding £481 per week (£25,000 if expressed as an annual value), approximately 1,020 were in work, 1,380 were couples with children and 1,920 were lone parents with children. Data on the number of children are not available.
	The figure for recipients in work includes all non-passported claims where either the claimant or their partner has declared any income from employment or self employment. This excludes people who may be doing some permitted work while in receipt of a passporting benefit (income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income support, income related employment support allowance or guarantee credit).

Local Government Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much each local authority received from each (a) revenue and (b) capital funding stream from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how much funding his Department allocated from each such stream in each year; and what the change was in the level of funding in each such stream between those years in (A) cash and (B) real terms.

Steve Webb: The information has been placed in the Library.

Social Fund

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level was of recovery of crisis loans in (a) cash and (b) percentage terms in each year from 2003 to 2010.

Steve Webb: holding answer 5 May 2011
	The information available is given in the following tables. Information for 2010-11 will not be available until after the Secretary of State's Annual Report on the Social Fund for 2010-11 has been published later this year.
	
		
			 Level of recovery of crisis loans in cash terms in each year from 2003-04 to 2009-10 in Great Britain 
			 Financial year Crisis loan recovery (£ million) 
			 2003-04 66.7 
			 2004-05 67.9 
			 2005-06 70.1 
			 2006-07 69.1 
			 2007-08 66.5 
			 2008-09 83.1 
			 2009-10 119.4 
			 Notes:  1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system.  2. Information for 2003-04 to 2009-10 is also published in the Secretary of State's Annual Report on the Social Fund.  Source:  DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System. 
		
	
	The information in the following table shows the percentage of expenditure in each year recovered in each of the subsequent years. For example, in 2003-04 22.6% of the expenditure in that year was subsequently recovered within the same year.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Year of recovery 
			 Year of expenditure 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 2003-04 22.6 33.9 15.7 6.4 3.4 7.8 — 
			 2004-05 — 21.1 33.6 15.3 6.0 4.0 11.6 
			 2005-06 — — 20.4 32.7 14.3 6.6 5.3 
		
	
	
		
			 2006-07 — — — 16.1 25.9 18.1 9.9 
			 2007-08 — — — — 13.4 24.2 19.8 
			 2008-09 — — — — — 12.2 24.5 
			 2009-10 — — — — — — 13.4 
			 Notes:  1. The information provided is management information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/National Statistics but in this case we only have management information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the social fund computer system.  2. From April 2006 policy changes were made to the Loans scheme which included changes to recoveries. The changes made were to reduce the highest of the loan repayment rates of 15% and 25% to 12% and 20% respectively and increase the period of time in which a loan can be repaid.  3. Not all expenditure is recovered within five years and while recovery is still made after five years, it is not possible to break this down further.  Source:  DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Social Fund

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on proposals to localise the Social Fund.

Steve Webb: The social fund is not being localised. The Welfare Reform Bill includes proposals to abolish the discretionary social fund. It will be replaced with a combination of locally designed and targeted assistance for the most vulnerable in the community and a modernised and simplified national system of payments on account accessed through the benefit system.
	Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, has recently spoken to Leighton Andrews, Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning in the Welsh Assembly Government to discuss our welfare reform proposals, including the new local assistance.

Social Fund

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the planned abolition of the post of Social Fund Commissioner.

Steve Webb: I have discussed the abolition of the post of the social fund commissioner with the commissioner himself.
	A number of organisations have raised the issue of disputes handling for the new local assistance that will replace community care grants and crisis loans for general living expenses.
	The commissioner's statutory role is to appoint and train inspectors to provide a second tier independent review of discretionary social fund decisions. The proposed abolition of the post of the social fund commissioner will be a direct consequence of the abolition of the discretionary social fund.

Social Security Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the Exchequer of implementing the proposed total household benefit cap in each financial year from its implementation to 2015-16.

Steve Webb: The coalition Government announced on the spending review 2010 that household benefit payments would be capped from 2013 at around £500 per week for couple and lone parent households and around £350 per week for single adult households. War widows and widowers, households which include a member who is receiving disability living allowance or constant attendance allowance, and working households claiming the working tax credit will be exempt from the cap.
	If the benefit cap were applied in full, as described in the supporting documentation for the spending review, the savings to the Exchequer are estimated to be £225 million in 2013-4, £270 million in 2014-5 and £270 million in 2015-16.

Social Security Benefits: Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is provided for staff dealing with benefits and employment to ensure that they understand the needs of people who have suffered a stroke.

Chris Grayling: The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) policy is to develop its staff in the skills required to support a range of customers and to respect their individual needs. This approach ensures that they are equipped to deal with a diverse set of circumstances while treating customers as individuals.
	The learning programme for Jobcentre Plus focuses on raising awareness of the customer's personal circumstances and also recognises that disabilities and health conditions can affect individuals in different ways and will change over time.
	All Jobcentre Plus staff receive foundation learning which covers excellent customer service, diversity and customer needs. These deal with the wide range of circumstances that our customers may have, some less obvious than others, and stress how important it is to look for signs where the customer does not give us this information directly and to offer appropriate support.
	In particular for Advisers the learning has placed a greater emphasis on the need for personalisation and flexibility to enable advisers to build strong relationships with customers. It includes Adviser Skills learning with a core series of Adviser Skills workshops, periods of supported workplace consolidation and knowledge and procedural learning.
	The key messages throughout this learning focuses on providing a personalised, flexible service to the customer and treating them as individuals. The learning provides an understanding of why this approach is important; what it means to the customer; what it looks like and how it works in practice. It further supports the adviser to identify the range of customers and the level of individual support they would need to provide and identify where more specialist help may be appropriate.
	This specialist help can come from our Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive and specialist learning in addition to the detail provided above.
	In addition an extensive learning programme has been developed to support the implementation of IB Reassessment. Training is being provided for Jobcentre Plus staff across Contact Centres, Benefit Centres and Jobcentres. In recognition of the varied needs of the IB reassessment customer group and the impact that the change will have on customers, the learning includes behavioural/cultural topics as well as the technical aspects required for the processing of benefits.
	PDCS deals with pension age customers and customers with disabilities, and includes the Local Service visiting function, a function which has recently been extended to include visits to vulnerable customers on behalf of Jobcentre Plus.
	In common with Jobcentre Plus, all PDCS staff are given foundation training in customer service, diversity and communications according to learning requirements as part of their induction. Ongoing training and development is provided throughout their career, as part of their ongoing performance and development, or on change of job.
	PDCS staff have access to training in Excellent Customer Service and training on understanding the needs of customers who have disabilities. There is also a training package on communication barriers and the assistance that can be arranged to resolve communication problems.
	Local Service visiting staff are given awareness training on the needs of older people, include training in health and vulnerability, which covers strokes in particular. The learning package highlights empathy, diversity/equality and managing emotional responses. It also covers support services available to customers, while emphasising the need for an empowering approach to combat the negative spiral which can increase dependency. This learning package is currently being broadened to cover the needs of all age groups.
	To support future plans for business restructuring within the Local Service function, a learning intervention is currently being developed for telephony staff, which will cover understanding customers' needs, vulnerability and communication issues.

State Retirement Pensions

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his policy is on honouring (a) existing and (b) future earnings-related pension entitlements under his proposed pension reforms;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the categories of individual likely to be (a) better and (b) worse off as a result of the introduction of a single tier pension;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to lose entitlement to savings credit under the Government's proposals for pension reform;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to be affected by reform of inherited rights under the Government's proposals for pension reform.

Steve Webb: The Government's consultation paper A state pension for the 21st century sets out two broad options for reform to simplify the state pension and better support saving.
	The Government have made it clear that they would honour contributions to the current system during transition to any new system and envisages that the savings credit would be retained under option one (faster flat rating) but would end under option two (single tier).
	The Government are currently seeking views on both options for reform as part of the consultation process and, as policy development is still underway, it is not possible to provide further detail at this stage. The Government will provide further detail and a full assessment of the impacts of any changes when it publishes more detailed proposals for reform.

Welfare to Work

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were enrolled in welfare-to-work schemes (a) in total and (b) in each programme at the start of (i) 2010-11 and (ii) each of the previous five financial years.

Chris Grayling: Following tables contain information on provision starts for the main welfare-to-work schemes for the last six financial years. It should be noted that information on every welfare-to-work scheme is not collected centrally and doing so would incur disproportionate costs. Therefore the following data only covers the key welfare-to-work schemes.
	Welfare-to-work schemes have been split into three categories; Intensive support; Less intensive support; and Jobcentre Plus led.
	Intensive Support
	
		
			 New Deal   p  rogrammes (spells in thousand) 
			  New Deal for young p  eople New Deal for 25 p  lus 
			 2005-06 168.53 82.01 
			 2006-07 186.50 104.80 
			 2007-08 166.22 124.98 
			 2008-09 195.40 102.69 
			 2009-10 191.79 79.90 
			 April 2010 to November 2010 33.13 39.81 
		
	
	
		
			 Flexible New Deal 
			 Financial year Starts 
			 2008-09 n/a 
			 2009-10 149,820 
			 April 2010 to January 2011 205,750 
			 Total 355,570 
		
	
	
		
			 Emplo  yment z  ones (spells in thousand) 
			  18 to 24-year-olds Lone parents Aged 25 plus 
			 2005-06 8.16 9.08 18.99 
			 2006-07 9.21 15.51 21.20 
			 2007-08 9.30 16.81 22.12 
			 2008-09 10.06 18.19 19.84 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 6.63 10.77 13.74 
			 April 2010 to October 2010 2.37 5.12 7.15 
		
	
	Welfare to Work schemes—less intensive support
	
		
			 New Deal programmes (spells in thousand) 
			  New Deal for disabled people 
			 2005-06 70.58 
			 2006-07 63.41 
			 2007-08 56.97 
			 2008-09 36.94 
			 2009-10 36.00 
			 April 2010 to November 2010 22.45 
		
	
	
		
			 Provide led pathways to work 
			 Financial year Starts 
			 December 2007 to March 2008 50,300 
			 2008-09 272,330 
			 2009-10 192,450 
			 April 2010 to July 2010 37,560 
			 Total 552,640 
		
	
	Welfare to work schemes—Jobcentre Plus led
	
		
			 New Deal programmes (spells in thousand) 
			  New Deal for lone parents New Deal for 50 plus New Deal for partners 
			 2005-06 155.30 24.17 2.29 
			 2006-07 134.36 16.98 2.25 
			 2007-08 184.70 11.73 2.03 
			 2008-09 186.49 9.26 2.18 
			 2009-10 143.03 6.25 2.25 
			 April 2010 to November 2010 113.10 3.43 1.69 
		
	
	
		
			 Jobcentre Plus Pathways 
			 Financial year Starts 
			 2005-06 124,250 
			 2006-07 307,100 
			 2007-08 337,130 
			 2008-09 302,990 
			 2009-10 323,620 
			 April 2010 to July 2010 101,220 
			 Total 1,606,910

Written Questions: Government Responses

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer Questions 50232 and 50236, on community care grants, tabled on 28 March 2011 for answer on 30 March 2011.

Steve Webb: I replied to the hon. Member’s questions on 9 May 2011, Official Report, column 1022W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Members: Correspondence

Kate Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to reply to the letter of 2 August 2010 from a constituent of the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston, Mr Charlie Donegan.

Nicholas Clegg: My office deals with my correspondence in the most efficient way possible to ensure a comprehensive reply. It was for this reason that Mr Donegan's correspondence was passed to the Department for Work and Pensions, as the relevant Department, for a full reply. A reply has now been sent to Mr Donegan.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

Francis Maude: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

Manufacturing Industries

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the level of growth in the manufacturing sector in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority, I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated May 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question regarding the level of growth in manufacturing in the latest 12 months.
	Figures from the Index of Production statistical bulletin published on the 6th April 2011 show that manufacturing output grew by 4.9% in February 2011 when compared to February 2010.

Members: Correspondence

Caroline Flint: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects the Cabinet Secretary to reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Don Valley of 3 March and 4 April 2011 on the Audit Commission.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Secretary replied to the right hon. Member today.

Public Bodies Reform Programme

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, on public bodies reform programme, if he will (a) prepare and (b) publish a schedule setting out the contribution of each public body to the reduction in spending through public bodies.

Francis Maude: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The following table sets out total reductions for the bodies sponsored by each Department that informed the estimates I announced on 16 March 2011. These are estimates as of 16 March, expressed as real-terms cumulative totals over the spending review period.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Estimated cumulative admin reductions from public bodies over SR period Estimated cumulative programme spending reductions from public bodies over SR period Estimated cumulative capital spending reductions from public bodies over SR period Estimated total cumulative reductions over SR period 
			 BIS 882.00 10,030.93 2,466.77 13,379.69 
			 CO 9.71 59.97 8.00 77.68 
			 CLG 168.62 280.73 12,962.55 13,411.9 
			 Local government 60.54 0 0 60.54 
			 DCMS 206.35 1,287.70 382.22 1,876.27 
			 DECC (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 DEFRA 269.51 446.27 509.87 1,225.66 
			 DfE 673.88 (1)— (1)— 673.88 
			 DfID (1)— (1)— (1)— 0.00 
			 DH 67.00 (1)— (1)— 67.00 
			 FCO (2)— (2)— (2)— 0.00 
			 HMT (1)— (1)— (1)— 0.00 
			 MoJ (inc AGO) 86.46 1,486.70 47.7 1,620.85 
			 HO (inc GEO) 131.16 383.14 189.77 704.07 
			 MoD 1.59 0.00 0.00 1.59 
			 DfT 21.59 (1)— (1)— 21.59 
			 DWP 17.95 -20.81 31.63 262.67(3) 
			 Total 2,596.36 13,954.63 16,598.51 33,383.39 
			 (1) Not provided (2) Minimal (3 )DWP total reduction figure includes a £233.9 million reduction which has not been classified as admin or programme expenditure.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to (a) draw the attention of and (b) encourage the involvement of hon. Members in identifying best practice in civil society.

Nick Hurd: Both I and the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr Maude) have taken steps to keep MPs abreast of developments on the big society. For example we recently published a written ministerial statement that set out the current position on development of the big society bank. In November last year I wrote to all MPs and invited them to bring in VCSE groups from their constituencies for open discussions and so far 29 such meetings have been held.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Wirral

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to promote the development of more affordable housing in Wirral West constituency.

Andrew Stunell: We are investing nearly £4.5 billion in new affordable housing to help deliver up to 150,000 affordable homes between 2011-12 and 2014-15 in England. We expect providers of affordable housing and local authorities to work closely to identify the level of provision needed in their areas.
	The location, number and availability of affordable housing will be dependent on agreements between providers and the Homes and Communities Agency, in consultation with local authorities.
	The New Homes Bonus also rewards councils for the building of new affordable housing.

Alcoholic Drinks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on the contents of ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010.

Bob Neill: Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government do not have drinks cabinets. No expenditure has been undertaken under this administration.

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Government Procurement Cards have been issued to Audit Commission (a) commissioners and (b) other staff in the last 24 months; and what the name is of each (i) commissioner and (ii) director who has used such a card during that period.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 10 May 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Audit Commission has not issued any Government Procurement Cards to Commissioners. Three new cards were issued to other staff in the last 24 months. Only one of these cards was issued to a director and this was Eugene Sullivan, Chief Executive. The Chief Executive has used his card once in the time period.

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 195W, on the Government Procurement Card, what the (a) date of purchase, (b) gross amount and (c) supplier was in respect of each transaction undertaken by the Audit Commission using the Government Procurement Card in 2010-11.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 10 May 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Audit Commission made changes to its purchase to pay procedures in 2010 and reviewed GPC holders, usage and limits. As a result of these changes, the total value of GPC transactions has reduced by 50 per cent in 2010/11.
	The detail of the transactions requested will be placed in the House of Commons Library. Please note that the date is the statement date as the date of purchase is unavailable.

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 195W, on the Government Procurement Card, which Audit Commission transactions on the Government Procurement Card in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 were made by each director and board member of the Commission. [Official Report, 18 May 2011, Vol. 528, c. 1MC.]

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 10 May 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The following table lists transactions made on the Government Procurement Card for 2008/09 and 2009/10 by the Audit Commission's Chief Executive and Chairman. No other directors or Commissioners hold cards.
	No transactions were made between January and March 2010.
	
		
			 Transaction d  ate Supplier Amount   (£) 
			 Chairman   
			 2008   
			 27 October Newquay Airport 5.00 
			 6 November British AIRW1252449202641 -191.50 
			 12 November B A Int-Dom 1252451231894 349.80 
			 12 November Newquay Airport 5.00 
		
	
	
		
			 19 November B A Int-Dom 1252451458879 6.00 
			 19 November Transpennine Exprs Radisson Edwardian 2.90 
			 12 December Manchester 156.95 
			 17 December St Martins on the Isle 125.00 
			    
			 2009   
			 29 January The Cinnamon Club 230.29 
			 19 May Air France 0572181224177 88.76 
			 19 May www.Flybe.COCW3042 44.48 
			 24 June Corinthia Towers Hotel 528.37 
			 02 July WP-Mal Maison Limi 84.00 
			    
			 Chief executive   
			 2008   
			 29 September www.Ibahn.Com 15.00 
			 9 October Hospitality Services 15.00 
			 10 November Southern 22.80 
			 19 November Nat Express E Cst 53.00 
			 4 December Sofitel St. James 73.69 
			 4 December Fredericks 108.56 
			 8 December Hilton Hotel 206.05 
			 9 December Sofitel St. James 114.75 
			 11 December Fredericks 153.79 
			 12 December Marriott 35.60 
			 12 December Coq D'Argent 112.16 
			 15 December Jurys Birmingham 429.90 
			 16 December Indigo Restaurant 107.94 
			 18 December Lescargot 605.03 
			 18 December Sherpherd’s 105.75 
			 19 December Portland Spa Hotel 166.87 
			 19 December The Butlers Wharf Chop 147.54 
			 21 December Crowne Plaza 133.99 
			 22 December Holiday Inns 259.25 
			    
			 2009   
			 29 January Arbutus Restaurants Lt 94.84 
			 29 January Bank Restaurant B001 94.56 
			 29 January Bank Restaurant B001 82.35 
			 29 January Bonds Restaurant and Bar 85.33 
			 29 January OXO Tower Restaurant 101.53 
			 29 January Quirinale Ltd 122.63 
			 29 January Quirinale Ltd 108.00 
			 29 January Quirinale Ltd 101.25 
			 29 January Roussillon 497.89 
			 24 April Parliamentary Book Shop 45.00 
			 5 May Quirinale 240.19 
			 15 May Coq D'Argent 90.00 
			 11 June Le Cafe Anglais 108.06 
			 19 June The Don 109.46 
			 29 June Shepherd’s 98.44 
			 30 June Swisscom Internet 60.00 
			 22 July Albannack 92.81 
			 5 August Islington Pay and Display 7.30 
			 23 September Marriott 15.00 
			 24 September Hakkasan 91.76 
			 25 September Shepherd’s 73.13 
			 1 October Hilton Hotel 90.45 
			 1 October Hilton Hotel 3.95 
		
	
	
		
			 5 October Virgin (WC) Trains 193.50 
			 6 October The Olive Press (Manchester) 52.00 
			 8 October Jurys Manchester 620.00 
			 21 October Hotel Du Vin 74.69 
			 22 October Hilton 121.80 
			 22 October Holiday Inns 29.20 
			 29 October Sofitel St. James 96.75 
			 2 November Quirinale 87.69 
			 29 December Parliamentary Book Shop 59.35

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 195W, on the Government Procurement Card, what the purpose was of each purchase made by the Government Procurement Card by the Audit Commission from (a) Flying Flowers, (b) Art and Flowers, (c) Petals of Narborough, (d) Bunches Florapost, (e) Serenata Flowers, (f) Interflora and (g) other florists in 2009-10.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 10 May 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	In common with many other employers, the Audit Commission operated a staff recognition scheme from 2007. This enabled managers to recognise the exceptional contribution or achievement of employees by awarding a one-off non-cash recognition award of between £20 and £50 per person. An employee could not receive more than one recognition award each year. The scheme ended in March 2011. in the last year, out of a total of 2,000 employees, 150 primarily junior staff received an award at an average cost of £35.
	The purpose of the purchases was:
	a) Flying Flowers—staff recognition scheme
	b) Arts and Flowers—staff recognition scheme
	c) Petals of Narborough—flowers for reception at Leicester office for April, May and June 2009. We stopped buying flowers for reception in July 2009.
	d) Bunches Florapost—gift for members of staff—fully reimbursed, and therefore at no cost to the public purse
	e) Serenata Flowers—staff recognition scheme
	f) Interflora—gift for member of staff—fully reimbursed (£36.98) and staff recognition scheme
	g) Other florists: Frosts & Landscapes—rental of a Christmas tree for our main office. We did not rent or buy a Christmas tree in 2010. Eden Florists—flowers for the funeral of a member of staff.

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 195W, on the Government Procurement Card, what the purpose was of each meal purchase by the Audit Commission using the Government Procurement Card in 2009-10 at (a) Coq d'Argent, (b) Quirinale, (c) Albannach, (d) Bank, (e) Brasserie Blanc and (f) Millbank Spice; and who attended each such meal.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 10 May 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The payments to a) Coq d'Argent b) Quirinale and c) Albannach have already been published in our hospitality and expenses register on the Audit Commission's website. They were for meetings between senior Audit Commission staff and senior contacts at partner organisations.
	Attendees were:
	a) Coq d'Argent
	Steve Bundred, Chief Executive and Evan Davis, BBC.
	b) Quirinale
	There were two dinners held at Quirinale. The first was attended by Steve Bundred, Chief Executive, Michael O'Higgins, Chairman, the Comptroller and Auditor General of the NAO and the Chairman of the NAO.
	The second dinner was attended by Steve Bundred, Chief Executive and HM Chief Inspector, Ofsted.
	c) Albannach
	Steve Bundred, Chief Executive and Director of Communications, Cabinet Office.
	The payment for d) Bank was for a dinner to bring together senior NHS and local government executives and partner inspectorates to discuss the new Comprehensive Area Assessment framework.
	Attendees were:
	Michael O'Higgins, Chairman
	Gareth Davies, Managing Director Local Government
	Karen McConnell—Central Region Director, Audit Commission
	Stephen Hughes—CEO Birmingham City Council
	John Polychronakis—CEO Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
	Trish Haines—CEO Worcester County Council
	Antoinette Jackson—CEO Cambridge City Council
	Dr Sandy Bradbrook—CEO Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT
	Nick Hodgson—CEO Derby County Council
	Peter West—Head of Commissioner Methods Care Quality Commission
	The payment for e) Brasserie Blanc was for a meal for a team of 12 individuals under the Audit Commission's staff recognition scheme. In common with many other employers the Audit Commission operated a staff recognition scheme from 2007. This enabled managers to recognise the exceptional contribution or achievement of employees by awarding a one-off non-cash recognition award of between £20 and 50 per person. An employee could not receive more than one recognition award each year. The scheme ended in March 2011. In the last year, out of a total of 2,000 employees, 150 primarily junior staff received an award at an average cost of £35.
	The payments for f) Millbank Spice were for evening meals for a number of Audit Commission staff staying overnight in London on business.
	Because the information requested includes personal information, we have been unable to disclose the names of more junior staff who attended meals in e) and f) as this would be a breach of the first principle of the Data Protection Act.

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

Bob Neill: All litigation cases against the Department are managed by the Treasury Solicitors Department. To answer this question, the Treasury Solicitors Department would be required to check through their records for the last three years, separating our civil claims from other types of litigation, and separating out successful from unsuccessful cases. This could be done only at disproportionate cost, and the Treasury Solicitors Department would charge this department for the work.

Enterprise Zones

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he had with (a) local authorities and (b) local economic partnerships on the need for enterprise zones prior to the announcement on 23 March 2011 on enterprise zones.

Bob Neill: Officials began discussion with local authorities and local enterprise partnerships about the possible location of enterprise zones in March 2011. This followed decisions by the Government about the criteria that should be used to select local enterprise partnership areas.

Enterprise Zones

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that landowners within enterprise zones are prevented from receiving significant benefits.

Bob Neill: In earlier enterprise zones business rate relief lasted for 10 years. This sometimes meant that, over time, rate reductions were passed on' to landlords in the form of increased rents..
	In the new generation of enterprise zones we are limiting business rate relief to 5 years. As the average lease is (around) 6.5 years—this will reduce the ability of landowners to pass on business rate reductions into higher rents when leases are re-negotiated.

Enterprise Zones: Non-domestic Rates

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the monetary value of business rates to be retained by local authorities over the 25 years following the establishment of the enterprise zones set out in The Plan for Growth.

Bob Neill: All business rate growth within the enterprise zone for a period of at least 25 years will be retained. The amount that authorities retain will depend on a range of factors, including the location, size and nature of the successful bids.

EU Grants and Loans: North East England

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2011, Official Report, column 390W, on EU grants and loans: North East, what the monetary value is of the funding to the North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Competitiveness programme that remains uncommitted.

Bob Neill: The allocation for the North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund Competitiveness programme is €375.7 million. The total amount that has been committed is €238.1 million. Therefore €137.6 million remains uncommitted.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 3 February 2011, Official Report, columns 48-49WS, on how we intend to improve the operation and delivery of the European Regional Development Fund in England.

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Audit Commission has taken to encourage the use of the Government Procurement Cards by local authorities.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 10 May 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Commission has not encouraged local authorities to use Government Procurement Cards. However, I note that The Office of Government Commerce says it is working with Buying Solutions to improve the visibility, adoption and use of procurement cards across the public sector to help in meeting efficiency programmes, describing the GPC as 'the first choice for UK Government and UK public sector organisations…The GPC is an established and proven solution which has been selected and endorsed by the UK Government'.

Historic Buildings: Planning Permission

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in local authority staffing levels on his Department's ability to maintain the effective operation of Planning Policy Statement 5.

Bob Neill: The Department has not carried out such an assessment. It is for individual authorities to decide how the resources available to them should be deployed in the light of priorities.

Housing: Building Alterations

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review the category of dwellings that may have permitted development rights in order to include flats.

Bob Neill: The Government have no current plans to grant flats the permitted development rights which exist for dwellinghouses under Schedule 2, Part 1 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended).
	A reason for excluding flats in this way is that the exercise of permitted development rights by a flat owner could impact negatively on others within the same block.

Housing: Older People

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration his Department is giving to planning for the housing needs of older people in developing its definition of sustainable development.

Bob Neill: The housing needs of older people are a material consideration for local planning authorities whether they are writing local plan policies or determining planning applications. In the summer we will be consulting on the draft National Planning Policy Framework which is to replace all the current Planning Policy Statements and Planning Policy Guidance Notes. The framework is still being drafted, so I am not in a position to discuss its contents. However, the Government will welcome any comments in relation to the draft policies in respect of planning for housing, including provision for older people.

Land: Databases

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has for the supply of aerial photography and height data following the cessation of the Pan Government Agreement.

Andrew Stunell: The Pan Government Agreement continues to provide aerial photography and height data.
	No decisions have been made on the future provision for the supply of aerial photography and height data once the current contract ends.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions he has had meetings with representatives of the (a) Federation of Small Businesses, (b) Institute of Directors and (c) Forum of Private Business to discuss the national representative body for local enterprise partnerships to be led by the British Chambers of Commerce since May 2010.

Bob Neill: Ministers meet regularly with business representative bodies on a range of policy issues, including local enterprise partnerships.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procurement process his Department used to select the British Chambers of Commerce to lead a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The British Chamber of Commerce offered to run a network of Local Enterprise Partnerships and submitted a proposal to support this offer. The decision to engage with a British Chamber of Commerce—led network has been made on the basis of their good fit, national reach and ambition to deliver this work across the country for Local Enterprise Partnerships. The Department is not procuring this service but will support this activity led by British Chamber of Commerce.
	No grant agreement is yet in place and any funding awarded will be subject to a satisfactory funding agreement which will be dependent on the quality of their final business case.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which organisations were consulted on the decision to select the British Chambers of Commerce to lead a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships;
	(2)  what the aims and objectives are of the new national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders) and the hon. Member for Blackpool South (Mr Marsden) on 9 May 2011, Official Report, column 1035W.

Non-domestic Rates

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) mean and (b) median cost was of business rates to businesses of each size category in the (i) manufacturing, (ii) pharmaceutical, (iii) haulage, (iv) construction, (v) retail, (vi) financial services, (vii) hospitality and leisure, (viii) accountancy, (ix) legal and (x) IT and telecoms industries in the last five years for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: The Department collects information on total business rates revenue and number of hereditaments by local authority on the national non-domestic rates forecast and outturn forms. However, this information is not split by size of business or by industry categories. Since the Department does not collect individual hereditament data, it is not possible to calculate median averages.
	The following table shows information on average net rate yield per hereditament for England as a whole:
	
		
			 Net rate yield per hereditament in England 
			 £ 
			  Cash Real terms (2010 prices) 
			 1997-98 6,940 9,893 
			 1998-99 7,080 9,701 
			 1999-2000 7,394 9,972 
			 2000-01 8,110 10,622 
			 2001-02 8,888 11,440 
			 2002-03 8,998 11,410 
			 2003-04 8,921 10,969 
			 2004-05 9,110 10,930 
			 2005-06 9,647 11,218 
			 2006-07 10,275 11,650 
			 2007-08 10,330 11,205 
			 2008-09 11,272 11,735 
			 2009-10 11,429 12,039 
			 2010-11 (est) 11,807 11,807

Planning Permission

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local planning authorities continue to be required to consider regional strategies as set out in ODPM circular 01/2006 when deciding upon local planning applications.

Bob Neill: The Government are abolishing regional strategies through the Localism Bill. This is a material consideration that local planning authorities can take into account.
	On 13 April, my Department published a draft Planning Policy Statement on Traveller sites (which we intend will replace Circular 01/2006), which councils can take into account as emerging policy.

Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid into his Department's scheme to enable port companies to pay off retrospective rate demands over eight years; and for what purposes the money paid into the scheme has been spent.

Bob Neill: Local authorities reported that in England in 2009-10 there was a net reduction in non-domestic rate yield of £8 million relating to schedule of payment agreements.
	This was calculated from the amount of relief granted by the signing of schedule of payment agreements in 2009-10 (£15 million) less the amount of money collected by local authorities in 2009-10 in respect of schedule of payment agreements (£7 million) entered into up to 31 March 2010.
	All non-domestic rates revenues, collected by billing authorities, are passed to the central non-domestic rates pool and are redistributed to local authorities under the Formula Grant scheme.

Property Development: Floods

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) the Environment Agency on the powers of the Environment Agency to object to a planning application for developments in flood zones.

Bob Neill: My Department has been working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on all aspects of planning reform, including on development and flood risk. When taking forward our reforms we will ensure that the Environment Agency retains a role in the planning process that facilitates their input in a timely and proportionate way.

Regional Development Agencies: Assets

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account he took in his Department's business planning processes for future years of the use of former regional development agency assets; and what the net financial effect is of the use of such assets.

Bob Neill: £100 million of income from the former regional development agencies' asset disposals in 2013-14 is incorporated in departmental spending plans. The regional development agencies had a very broad portfolio of land and property assets and we are committed to ensuring it is developed out to maximise the impacts it can have on strengthening local economies up and down the country.
	DCLG will also be making use of European Regional Development Fund related finance, project and HR data assets belonging to the former regional development agencies. We are currently scoping work needed to bring the assets into effective use.

Regional Planning and Development

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place to assist local authorities in determining the appropriate level of site provision for Gypsies and Travellers which was formerly provided by regional spatial strategies.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to my Department’s press notice of 13 April on Travellers and planning, which provides a broad outline of the initiatives that my Department is taking to reform the planning process, to improve community relations and to work with local communities to provide the right level of provision for local authorised sites. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Rents: Exeter

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the potential effects on rent levels in Exeter of the Government's restructuring of council house rents.

Grant Shapps: Successive Governments have issued annual guidance on rent rises but final responsibility for setting rents lies with the local authority. Current rent restructuring policy, which is unchanged from that inherited from the last administration, includes a recommended limit on individual rent increases of no more than RPI+ 0.5% + £2 in any year. Application of this limit is at the discretion of the local authority. It would therefore be difficult to estimate actual rent levels in Exeter.

Social Clubs

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department provides support for social clubs in (a) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (b) the North East, (c) England and (d) the UK.

Bob Neill: holding answer 5 May 2011
	Social clubs play a crucial role in lives of communities all over the country. The Department for Communities and Local Government is very supportive of their important function and through the Community Right to Buy provisions contained in the Localism Bill, communities will be provided with greater opportunities to take over assets that are of importance to them. Consultation on the Community Right to Buy closed on 3 May 2011 and we will be providing a response in the summer.
	The Government have also been working with BIG Lottery Fund on interim arrangements to establish a big society bank (to help social enterprises, charities and voluntary organisations access the investment they need). The big society bank will work with social investment intermediaries to grow the social investment market, encouraging more investment in social change and broadening the finance options open to the sector.
	Social clubs in England may be eligible for mandatory or discretionary business rates relief. The granting of discretionary rate relief is ultimately a decision for the local authority but the Government believes it has an important role to play in supporting not-for-profit organisations, recognising the public benefit that they give to their local community.
	The Government’s increase in small business, rate relief for two years has also benefited many social clubs.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average proportion of rent which will be met from housing benefit in social housing properties subject to 80 per cent. of market rents;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the level of social rents in each local authority area where these are set at 80 per cent. of market rents; and how this compares with (a) average levels of social rent and (b) the 30(th) percentile of private sector rent.

Grant Shapps: As explained in the Affordable Homes Programme Framework, which can be found at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/public/documents/Affordable-Homes-Framework.pdf
	registered providers will be able to let a property at an affordable rent (inclusive of service charges, where applicable) of up to 80% of the gross market rent where it is part of a development agreement with the Homes and Communities Agency. It would be open to providers to offer a rent at less than 80% of market rates if that best suited local circumstances. A provider’s calculation of market rent would need to be based on a residential lettings estimate for a property of the appropriate size, condition and area. Valuations should be in accordance with a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors recognised method.
	Illustrative modelling of the affordable rent policy, including assumptions about affordable rent levels and the average proportion of rent that will met by housing benefit for affordable rent properties will be set out in the Impact Assessment, due to be published shortly. The Impact Assessment will also describe the uncertainties around such housing benefit estimates. Data on affordable rent levels by local authority are not available.
	Statistics on social rent levels of housing association, local authority and private rents provided by the Department can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/rentslettings/
	Local housing allowance rates by broad rental market areas, which are subject to different boundaries to those of local authorities, are determined by the Valuation Office Agency and are based on the 30(th) percentile of private market rents, subject to caps. Information on these rates for May 2011 can be found at:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/LHADirect/BRMA_May_2011.htm
	Broad rental market areas are large in size, and summary figures will mask very significant variations in rents.

Social Rented Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of total housing stock was social housing in each local authority in (a) 1981, (b) 1997 and (c) 2009-10.

Andrew Stunell: A table showing the figures requested has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Data from several sources are used in the answer to this parliamentary question. Local authority-owned stock is from the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and its predecessor Housing Investment Programme (HIPl) returns; housing association stock is from the Tenant Services Authority’s Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR); and total stock figures are from DCLG’s Dwelling Stock Estimates. Each of these is published and in the public domain.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) private and (b) social housing units were completed in each London local authority area in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: Figures for new build housing completions in each English local authority district in each of the last five years, split into private enterprise, housing association and local authority tenures, are published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website in Live Table 253 and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
	However, for figures specifically on completions of social, or affordable, housing, a more detailed and accurate source is the Department for Communities and Local Government's Affordable Housing Supply statistics. Figures up to and including 2009-10 are published in Live Table 1008 on the Department for Communities and Local Government website. The table, which includes both new-build completions and acquisitions, can be found at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/affordablehousingsupply/livetables/
	The next House Building statistical release, containing figures for 2010-11, will be published on 19 May.
	The next Affordable Housing Supply statistical release, containing figures for 2010-11, is scheduled to be published in the autumn.

Government Procurement Card

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) date of purchase, (b) gross amount, (c) level 3 line item detail and (d) supplier was in respect of each transaction undertaken by the Standards Board using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Bob Neill: The Standards Board for England does not use the Government's Procurement Card.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the effects of the staged increase in the national fee assumption for adult apprenticeships between 2006 and 2010-11 on the numbers of micro-businesses offering apprenticeships in (a) the Brighton and Hove area and (b) nationally; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: We are strongly committed to supporting employers to train their staff so that they have the skills they need to grow their businesses. We know that apprenticeships are valued by employers and individuals, as they yield measurable economic benefits for both employers and their employees. Since the 2005/06 academic year (AY) there has been an expectation that, as employers benefit from the skills and training their employees receive, they should contribute more to the cost of training. The level of contribution expected from employers, referred to as the assumed contribution, has risen in stages.
	The following table sets out the assumed fee contribution between 2006/07 AY and 2009/10 AY, and the number of apprenticeships that were delivered to learners aged 19+ living in the Brighton and Hove local authority area and across England over this period. There is no central record that shows the number of adult apprenticeships delivered by size of employer by local authority area. The assumed fee contribution for 2010/11 AY is 50%.
	
		
			  Academic year (AY) 
			  2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			 Assumed Fee contribution (percentage) 32.5 37.5 42.75 47.5 
			 Brighton and Hove local authority 240 440 540 550 
			 England 78,800 117,200 140,600 162,900 
			 Data sources: Statistical First Release published on 31 March 2011, Learning and Skills Council Statements of Priority for the financial years 2006-07, 2007-08, 2006-09 and 2009-10. 
		
	
	“Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” (November 2010) provides illustrative forecasts of the number of adult training places that Government investment can support. It is anticipated that 388,490 adult apprenticeship places will be funded across England in the 2010/11 academic year. Individual colleges and training organisations have been given the freedom and flexibility to work directly with their local partners, to determine the actual mix of provision that best meets the needs of their communities. As take up follows employer demand, it is not possible to provide estimates of the geographical distribution of apprenticeship places or funding.

Apprentices

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanism he has put in place to monitor the adequacy of supply of apprenticeships for those aged 19 to 25 in (a) the Brighton and Hove area and (b) nationally; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: The apprenticeships programme is demand led. Government provides funding and forecasts the overall number of places that may be afforded. We rely on employers and providers to work together to offer sufficient opportunities to meet local demand, taking advantage of the greater freedoms and flexibilities that we have created in the further education system. Funding of places for adult apprentices, those aged 19 and over, is not further split by age and we do not directly control the level of supply of places for those aged 19 to 25.
	The coalition Government are committed to increasing freedoms for further education colleges and training providers, so that they are able to provide tailored solutions to meet the needs within their communities. “Skills for Sustainable Growth” and “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” set out these principles. The National Apprenticeship Service, working with the Skills Funding Agency and local authorities, regularly review the take up of apprenticeships by both employers and individuals (across all age groups) to ensure that demand for apprenticeships is being met by supply.
	Across the programme, supply of apprenticeship places is at an all time high. Overall, with the new measures announced in this year’s Budget, this Government will deliver at least 250,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years, compared to the previous Government’s plans. In the 2009/10 academic year, 19 to 24-year-olds started 113,800 apprenticeship frameworks, a 34.3% increase on 2008/09.

Apprentices

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on apprenticeship take-up rates of the withdrawal of design and technology from the compulsory element of the national curriculum.

John Hayes: It would be premature to make any assessment of the potential impact such a decision could have on apprenticeship take-up rates, as no decision has yet been made by the Department for Education on whether design and technology will continue to be part of the national curriculum. The Department for Education is currently undertaking a full review of the national curriculum, and plans to announce proposals at the end of the year.

Apprentices

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many apprenticeship starts there were in (a) each of the last three quarters of 2010 and (b) the first quarter of 2011;
	(2)  how many apprenticeship places were (a) available and (b) taken up in the year ended (i) March 2010 and (ii) March 2011.

John Hayes: Tables 1 as follows shows apprenticeship programme starts for each of the last three quarters of 2009/10 and the first quarter of 2010/11.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by quarter, 2009/10 and 2010/11 
			 Academic year Quarter Apprenticeship starts 
			 2009/10 November 2009 to January 2010 51,000 
			  February 2010 to April 2010 64,800 
		
	
	
		
			  May 2010 to July 2010 64,500 
			 2010/11 August 2010 to October 2010 (Provisional) 122,000 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Provisional estimates for 2010/11 are not directly comparable with figures for earlier years. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	On the 1 April 2010, 265,400 people were participating on an apprenticeship programme. As of the 31 January, the latest date for which we have published information, 307,400 people were participating on an apprenticeship programme. Participation figures show the number of apprentices in learning on a given date. However, to ensure consistency and clarity, for comparative purposes we use the number of people starting an apprenticeship over a full academic year.
	Information on apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 March:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Apprentices: Finance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding has been allocated to apprenticeships in 2011-12; how much such funding is available to fund apprenticeships in the local enterprise area covering Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: The Young People's Learning Agency's 16-19 “Funding Statement” (December, 2010) set out expected investment in 16-18 apprenticeship provision in the 2011-12 financial year of £799 million.
	This Department's “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” (November 2010) set out our plans to invest £3.9 billion in adult further education and skills in the 2011-12 financial year. This includes £3.7 billion for over 3 million adult (19+) training places funded through the Skills Funding Agency with £605 million earmarked for 19+ apprenticeship provision. Budget 2011 announced an additional £180 million for 19+ apprenticeship provision over the spending review period.
	This Department is currently considering the split of funding across each of the spending review years, including the level of additional investment in 19+ apprenticeships for the 2011-12 financial year.
	Take-up by region follows employer demand and providers can deliver apprenticeships across a number of different regions. For this reason, we are not able to provide estimates of the geographical distribution of apprenticeship funding in 2011-12 financial year.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to take on apprentices; what recent representations he has received on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: As part of the Budget statement, this Government announced a new £75 million programme of training and other targeted support focused specifically on small and medium-sized businesses to help them access advanced and higher level apprenticeships.
	This package of support was developed as a result of discussions with employers as part of the growth review and is expected to particularly benefit advanced manufacturing and digital and creative industries. We want to support businesses coming together to build advanced and higher level apprenticeship schemes to address their skills gaps.
	As the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), also announced recently we will be working together as a priority to reduce bureaucracy for small and medium enterprises making it easier for them to take on new apprentices.

Apprentices: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employers have offered to provide apprenticeships within the Stoke-on-Trent/Staffordshire local enterprise partnership area; and what steps he is taking to encourage take-up of such apprenticeships.

John Hayes: From 1 August 2010 to 31 January, 2,300 employers(1) started an apprentice through their learning provider (just under 2,000 in Staffordshire and about 640 in Stoke).(2)
	This Government are committed to boosting the supply of apprenticeship places, which is why we have put funding in place to deliver at least 250,000 more Apprenticeships over the next four years.
	(1) Source—ILR data from 1 August 2010 to 31 January 2011
	(2) Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent reflects activity within the local education area boundaries as BIS are yet to confirm the final reporting arrangements for LEP areas

AssetCo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many export licences have been granted to AssetCo plc for the sale of equipment to the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for use by the (a) army, (b) police and (c) fire service in the UAE in the last five years for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: We have no record of any export licences applications from this company.

British Library Business and IP Centre

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the British Library's Business and IP Centre regional pilot study in the North East; if he will estimate the potential effect of the Centre on the economy of the North East; and what steps he plans to take maximise the economic benefit to the North East from the Centre.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 28 April 2011
	I have made no assessment of the potential effectiveness of a business and IP centre in the north-east of England, however, a scoping exercise commissioned by the British Library in December 2010 found that there would be demand for a pilot in the north-east. An independent evaluation by Adroit Economics in 2010 found the London Business and IP Centre delivered an increase in gross value added of £1.29 for every £1 invested. The British Library is currently exploring options to establish a centre in Newcastle, based on the London model.

British Library Business and IP Centre

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support he plans to provide the British Library Business and IP Centre following the termination of its funding by London Development Agency.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 28 April 2011
	The core services provided by the British Library Business and IP Centre will continue to be funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport grant after London Development Agency (LDA) funding ceases. The British Library has successfully applied for European Regional Development Funding of £2.4 million to provide additional advice for growth businesses over the period 2011/12 to 2014/15. The application has been approved by the Mayor of London and contract negotiations are under way. Bridge funding is currently being provided by LDA.

Bureaucracy: Government Departments

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many comments expressing (a) support for existing regulations and (b) requests for additional regulations he has received through the Red Tape Challenge website.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 9 May 2011
	Since the launch of the Red Tape Challenge website on 7 April, we have received over 14,000 comments. The Departments leading each theme will consider all the comments, which are publicly available on the website at:
	www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
	The presence of a particular regulation or law on the website should not be read as implying any intention on the part of the Government to remove that regulation or law from the statute book

Business: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) new business start ups and (b) business insolvencies there have been in Bassetlaw constituency since 8 May 2010.

Edward Davey: Statistics on business start-ups are available from the Office of National Statistics publication on Business Demography. This is an annual publication and data from 2010 will not be available until December 2011.
	Official statistics covering corporate insolvencies for England and Wales are not currently available at sub-national level.
	Quarterly totals for both compulsory and creditors’ voluntary liquidations in England and Wales are presented in Table 1 of the Quarterly Insolvency Statistics, the latest publication of which can be found on the Insolvency Service website here:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/201102/table1.pdf

Business: Regulation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's announcement of 18 March 2011 on business regulation, if he will bring forward proposals to publish details of new regulations which have not been submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee or the Reducing Regulation Committee.

Mark Prisk: No new regulation which has an impact on business should be introduced without it first being submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee and the Reducing Regulation Committee, as demonstrated for domestic regulation by the "One-In, One-Out: Statement of New Regulation" published on 7 April.

Departmental Work Experience

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students from (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency have been offered internships in his Department since 8 May 2010.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has offered 14 internships to UK students since 8 May 2010. None of those students reside in the Bassetlaw constituency.

Economic Growth

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to The Plan for Growth, what his definition of an economically significant project is.

Mark Prisk: With reference to the planning system, s76a of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) to call in planning applications if they are of national or regional importance. Generally such cases are identified on a case by case basis and as set out in the Plan for Growth the Government will consider using these powers for projects that have potential for significant economic benefits beyond the area where the development is based and the planning decision made. Local Enterprise Partnerships, for example, may play a role in identifying such projects.

Employment: Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effects on the further education sector of proposed regulations to restrict employment of international students.

John Hayes: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has had wide-ranging discussions with Home Office, at ministerial and official level, exploring all aspects of proposed changes to the student immigration system.
	This Government value the contribution international students make to our further education sector but are committed to reducing the numbers of non-EU immigrants to this country and as part of this commitment we are seeking to reduce the level of abuse of the system among student immigrants. In particular, we need to ensure that students coming to this country genuinely want to study and are not using the student immigration route as a means of working in this country.

Employment: Overseas Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of international students attending further education colleges who will be affected by proposed restrictions on working hours.

John Hayes: holding answer 9 May 2011
	The UK Border Agency has carried out an assessment of the impact of the changes they are making to Tier 4 which will be published in the summer, however this will not contain an estimate of students affected by these restrictions as we do not hold centralised data in sufficient detail on international students in the further education sector.

English Language: Education

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of English for speakers of other languages students in (a) September 2010, (b) January 2011 and (c) May 2011.

John Hayes: The following table shows the number of Government-funded learners in England participating on an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course in 2009/10, and provisional data for the first six months of 2010/11 (August 2010 to January 2011), the latest available published data.
	
		
			 ESOL participation in England, 2009/10 and 2010/11 (August to January). 
			  ESOL participation 
			 2009/10 full year (final) 201,500 
			 2010/11 August to January (provisional) 147,900 
			 Notes: 1. These data cover participation in Learner Responsive, Apprenticeships, Train to Gain, Adult Safeguarded Learning and University for Industry provision. Further Education/Learner responsive provision includes general further education colleges including tertiary, sixth form colleges—agricultural and horticultural colleges and art and design colleges, specialist colleges and external institutions. 2. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Geography is based on learners’ home postcode. 4. Provisional figures for 2010/11 are not directly comparable to final figures for 2009/10. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on participation on ESOL courses is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 March:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/

Export Controls

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place to ensure the protection of (a) democratic freedoms and (b) human rights when assessing applications for export control licences;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that export control licences are not granted in circumstances where the equipment to be sold could be used to (a) suppress democratic expression and (b) abuse human rights.

Mark Prisk: All UK export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated European Union (EU) and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue any licences if to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria. Our assessment includes consideration of how an end-user is likely to use the proposed export, the circumstances in which it might be used, and whether it could exacerbate conflict or otherwise contravene the criteria.
	Criterion 2 relates to ‘the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination’. Having assessed the recipient country's attitude towards relevant principles established by international human rights instruments, we will ‘not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression’.

Foreign Investment in UK

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Plan for Growth, what plans he has to provide a bespoke service to key inward investors; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government are currently developing a new approach to ensure that major investors and exporters, whose decisions and business success will deliver significant benefits to the UK economy, receive a consistent and joined-up service from Government.
	A new cross-governmental strategic relations team, based in UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), under a leadership with extensive private sector experience, will co-ordinate this work, adopting best practice from private sector professional services organisations. More details will be contained in the UKTI Strategy 2011-15 to be published on 10 May.

Foreign Investment in UK

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on contracting out the delivery of support for inward investment by UK Trade & Industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: On 31 March 2011, UKTI awarded a three-year contract (capable of extension to five years) to PA Consulting Services Ltd for delivery of new national inward investment arrangements. PA Consulting will deliver these new arrangements in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce and OCO Consulting.
	The new arrangements will provide resource to:
	a. co-ordinate and manage inward investment propositions throughout the UK;
	b. support the local elements of delivery of inward investment support, including investor development, in England, excepting London which has its own arrangements.
	This is as set out in the notice in the Official Journal of the European Union:
	http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:36720Q-2010:TEXT:EN:HTML
	A press statement can be found on the UK Trade and Investment website:
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/pt_pt/uktihome/media/pressRelease/128993.html?null

Further Education

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 15 March 2011, Official Report, column 305W, on further education, which of the further education colleges listed undertook capital works of a monetary value of more than £1 million in the last five years.

John Hayes: Of the further education colleges listed in my answer of 15 March 2011, Official Report, column 305W, the following 25 FE Colleges have undertaken capital works of a monetary value of more than £1 million in the last five years:
	Boston College, Lincolnshire
	Broxtowe College (now called Castle College)
	Bury College
	Canterbury College
	City College Birmingham
	City of Sunderland College
	Halesowen College
	Highbury College
	Lambeth College
	Lincoln College
	Matthew Boulton College (now called Birmingham Metropolitan College)
	National Star College
	Newcastle-under-Lyme College
	North Lindsey College
	Royal National College for the Blind, Hereford
	Royal School for the Deaf
	Salford City College
	South Staffordshire College
	Stoke on Trent College
	Strode College
	The Manchester College
	Trafford College
	Tresham Institute
	Walford and North Shropshire College
	Warwickshire College
	Total: 25

Further Education: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish the consultation document on the introduction of loans for further education students referred to on page 13 of his Department's Business Plan published in November 2010.

John Hayes: holding answer 4 May 2011
	In November 2010, we announced in “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” that further education fee loans will be repaid on an income contingent basis in line with the recently announced approach for higher education fee loans. Further education fee loans will share key features with higher education fee loans, we plan to publish proposals for implementing further education fee loans following the publication of the Higher Education White Paper.

Further Education: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with which stakeholder groups and organisations he has discussed his proposals for the introduction of loans for further education students over the age of 24 years at Level 3 and the age of 25 years at Level 2.

John Hayes: holding answer 4 May 2011
	Proposals for implementing further education fee loans have been discussed with the following organisations.
	Association of Colleges
	National Union of Students
	Third Sector National Learning Alliance
	Dudley College
	South Tyneside College
	Association of Learning Providers
	Hospitality Industry Training
	Skills Funding Agency
	Student Loans Company
	National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
	British Telecom
	Apprenticeship Ambassador Network
	Proposals have also been discussed with HMRC chaired Employer Student Loans Reference Group.
	We have announced that further education fee loans will be introduced for those aged 24 and over undertaking provision at Level 3 and above. There are no plans to introduce fee loans for those undertaking provision below Level 3.

Further Education: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the proposed consultation document on the introduction of loans for further education students has not been published.

John Hayes: holding answer 4 May 2011
	In November 2010, we announced in “Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth” that further education fee loans will be repaid on an income contingent basis in line with the recently announced approach for higher education fee loans. Further education fee loans will share key features with higher education fee loans, we plan to publish proposals for implementing further education fee loans following the publication of the Higher Education White Paper. Since November 2010, we have consulted with a wide range of organisations about the implementation of further education fee loans.

Further Education: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will commission an equality impact assessment of his proposals for the introduction of loans for further education students over the age of 24 years at Level 3 and the age of 25 years at Level 2.

John Hayes: holding answer 4 May 2011
	We have announced that further education fee loans will be introduced for those aged 24 and over undertaking provision at Level 3 and above. There are no plans to introduce fee loans for those undertaking provision below Level 3.
	We plan to publish proposals for implementing further education fee loans following the publication of the Higher Education White Paper. An equality impact assessment will be published alongside the proposals.

Green Investment Bank

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to announce the proposed location of the headquarters of the Green Investment Bank.

Mark Prisk: We expect to make an announcement about the Green Investment Bank (GIB) later this month. However, it is unlikely to include the precise location of the GIB.

Medicine: Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that people wishing to undertake medical degrees are not deterred from doing so by changes to arrangements for student finance; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: No eligible student in England, entering higher education for the first time in 2012, including those studying for medicine, will have to pay their fees up front. In addition there will be a more generous package of support for living costs, comprising loans and non repayable grants for those students from households with incomes of up to £42,600.
	Students from families with an income no greater than £25,000 per annum may also be eligible for support from the National Scholarship Programme. Universities will determine their own eligibility criteria for the programme.

Medicine: Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department provides financial assistance to students wishing to undertake medical degrees; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Department provides financial support for students in England studying for a first degree, including those studying medicine who can apply for support for the first four years of their course. Support for subsequent years of a medical course is provided jointly by my Department, which provides a maintenance loan at a reduced level, and the Department of Health, which currently provides support for tuition fees and NHS bursaries.

Overseas Trade: Australasia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the primary (a) imported and (b) exported goods and services are between the UK and (i) Australia and (ii) New Zealand.

Mark Prisk: According to HM Revenue and Customs Overseas Trade Statistics, trade in goods in 2010 with Australia and New Zealand included the following commodities, using the 2-digit Standard International Trade Classification.
	
		
			 Australia 
			  £ million 
			 Goods imports from Australia  
			 Total 2,174 
			 Coal and coke 403 
			 Beverages 366 
			 Non-ferrous metals 324 
			 Miscellaneous manufactures 165 
			 Non-metallic mineral manufactures 112 
			   
			 Goods exports to Australia  
			 Total 3,175 
			 Medicinal and pharmaceutical 544 
			 Road vehicles 452 
			 Miscellaneous manufactures 290 
			 Specialised machinery 185 
			 General industrial machinery 152 
		
	
	
		
			 New Zealand 
			  £ million 
			 Goods imports from New Zealand  
			 Total 839 
			 Meat 322 
			 Beverages 152 
			 Non-road transport equipment 66 
			 Vegetables and fruit 47 
			 Textile fibres 23 
			   
			 Goods exports to New Zealand  
			 Total 319 
			 Road vehicles 57 
			 Miscellaneous manufactures 39 
			 Power generation equipment 37 
			 Specialised machinery 23 
			 Medicinal and pharmaceutical 22 
		
	
	According to the Office for National Statistics Balance of Payments Pink Book, trade in services in 2009 with Australia included the following sectors:
	
		
			 Australia 
			  £ million 
			 Services imports from Australia  
			 Total 2,141 
			 Travel 701 
			 Royalties and licence fees 445 
			 Transportation 371 
			 Other business services 32t 
			 Financial services 116 
			   
			 Services exports to Australia  
			 Total 4,111 
			 Transportation 1,334 
			 Travel 827 
			 Financial services 691 
			 Other business services 684 
			 Insurance 215 
		
	
	A breakdown of services trade with New Zealand is not available. Total UK imports of services from New Zealand were worth about £284 million in 2009 and UK exports of services to New Zealand £439 million.

Parental Leave

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions his Department has discussed shared parental leave with the Childhood and Families Taskforce.

Edward Davey: It is longstanding Government practice not to disclose information relating to ministerial meetings, including the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees, as to do so would put at risk the public interest in the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.

Post Offices

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how levels of compensation received by sub-post offices upon being made a Post Office Local will be determined;
	(2)  what compensation sub-post offices will receive upon being made a Post Office Local.

Edward Davey: The level of compensation and financial support for sub post offices converting to the Post Office Local model will be determined by Post Office Ltd who are working closely with the National Federation of SubPostmasters on this as part of the overall planning of the Post Office Local implementation. The details are yet to be decided.

Power Line Technology Devices

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the security of power line technology devices following concerns expressed by GCHQ.

Mark Prisk: Power line technology (PLT) apparatus is required to comply with the Electro-Magnetic Compatibility Regulations 2006. The Regulations do not set specific levels of interference but set objectives to ensure that properly designed radio systems will operate when other electrical equipment, such as PLT apparatus, is operated. Enforcement is carried out by Office of Communications (OFCOM)
	The concerns expressed by Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) you make reference to were contained in a statement that has been withdrawn by GCHQ. Following further investigation, GCHQ have advised this Department that they have concluded that PLT technology is not currently impacting GCHQ's capability. GCHQ and OFCOM are due to meet in mid-May as part of a wider consultative process. I therefore have made no assessment.

Qualifications and Curriculum Framework

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what funding the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency received from his Department for the design and implementation of the Qualifications and Curriculum Framework;
	(2)  what estimates his Department made of the cost of designing and implementing the Qualifications and Curriculum Framework prior to commencement on this work.

John Hayes: In November 2008 the then Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills signed off a Final Business Case (FBC) for implementing the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). The FBC estimated that the total cost of implementing the QCF over the comprehensive spending review (CSR) period to 30 April was £205 million with the bulk of that cost, £122 million, being borne by awarding organisations and learning providers in the private sector. The remaining £83 million was to come from the public purse and be divided between Ofqual (£14 million), QCA (£13 million), the Learning and Skills Council (£45 million), and the Department and the devolved Administrations (£11 million).
	The actual public spend over the CSR has been £61 million. The total funding the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency has received from the Department to implement the QCF is £8.4 million.
	
		
			 Expenditure on the Qualifications and Credit Framework 
			 £ million 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Total 
			 BIS and Das 0.12 0.82 0.61 (1)0.60 2.15 
			 QCDA 2.93 2.96 2.50 (1)0.00 8.39 
			 Ofqual 0.00 0.00 5.50 (1)7.00 12.50 
			 LSC/SFA 0.00 3.64 11.00 (1)19.00 33.64 
			 LSIS 0.00 0.00 2.43 (1)1.00 3.43 
			 UKCES 0.00 0.00 0.20 (1)0.50 0.70 
			  3.05 7.42 22.24 (1)28.10 60.81 
			 (1 )Estimated expenditure

Red Tape Challenge

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how the default presumption that burdensome regulations will be removed under the Red Tape Challenge will apply in the case where (a) some respondents to the Red Tape Challenge state that regulations are burdensome and should be removed or lessened and an equal or greater number of respondents state that the same regulations should be retained or strengthened and (b) there are no complaints about a regulation listed as part of the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Red Tape Challenge aims to remove or simplify regulations which impose unnecessary burdens on businesses, members of the public and voluntary organisations. Ministers will have the opportunity to justify which regulations they want to keep. The comments from the website wilt inform these decisions.

Regional Development Agencies

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the principal differences in function are between regional development agencies and local enterprise partnerships.

Mark Prisk: The purposes of the regional development agencies (RDAs) are set out in part 1, section 4 (a-e) of the RDA Act 1998.
	Local enterprise partnerships are locally developed by business and civic leaders who are responsible for setting their own priorities. The partnerships' key focus is to address the barriers to local growth.

Regional Development Agencies

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation process was undertaken prior to the decision to abolish regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: The Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos set out the intention to reform the delivery of economic development in England, following which the decision to abolish the regional development agencies (RDAs) was included in the coalition agreement. No formal consultation process was therefore undertaken prior to the decision to abolish the RDAs.

Regional Growth Fund

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria he has set for the assessment of projects in round 2 of the regional growth fund.

Mark Prisk: The criteria for the second round for assessing projects are the same as the first round. To qualify for support from the Regional Growth Fund, projects should demonstrate that they:
	create additional sustainable private sector growth;
	rebalance the economy in those areas currently dependent on the public sector;
	would not otherwise go ahead without support from the Regional Growth Fund;
	offer value for money; and
	be state aid compliant.

Skills Funding Agency: Manpower

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were employed by the Skills Funding Agency in (a) April 2010 and (b) April 2011; and what his most recent estimate is of the numbers which will be employed by that agency in (i) April 2012, (ii) April 2013 and (iii) April 2014.

John Hayes: The number of staff employed by the Skills Funding Agency in:
	April 2010 was 1,904 headcount (full-time equivalent 1846.82);
	April 2011 was 1,649 headcount (full-time equivalent 1601.69).
	The agency's most recent estimate of the numbers which will be employed by that agency in:
	April 2012 is 1,264 posts (headcount may be higher if there are employees job sharing or working part-time);
	April 2013 is 1,249 posts (headcount may be higher if there are employees job sharing or working part-time);
	April 2014 is 1,249 posts (headcount may be higher if there are employees job sharing or working part-time).

Small Businesses: Finance

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on small businesses of changes in levels of lending charges by banks.

Mark Prisk: The Government are committed to ensuring that viable small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) are able to access the finance they need, which includes ensuring access to bank finance, equity finance and other sources of finance.
	Data collected from the four main banks, which is published and analysed on a quarterly basis by the Bank of England in its Trends in Lending publication, show that despite increase in bank margins, the overall cost of finance remains on average lower than in 2007 due to falls in the base rate. Average margins on variable rate finance have continued fluctuating over the last six months; they are currently higher in February than in the same month in 2008 for both the small and medium segments of SMEs.

Social Services: Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to paragraph 2.214 of “The Plan for Growth”, which regulations he has identified as having a disproportionate effect on micro-enterprises in the social care sector.

Mark Prisk: As part of the Growth Review, National Association of Adult Placement Services, the national network for small community service providers, raised the following key regulatory barriers to growth, which they considered to have impacted upon their membership of social care micro-enterprises, disproportionately:
	Food Standards Regulations
	Private Hire Vehicle Licensing
	Criminal Records Bureau Checks
	Employment and Taxation Duties
	Further details of the actions underway to address these barriers are set out in “The Plan for Growth” see:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ukecon_growth_index.htm

Supermarkets: Competition

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish the timetable for establishing a groceries code adjudicator.

Edward Davey: The Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill will be published for pre-legislative scrutiny shortly.

Supply Chain Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to stimulate the use of supply chain finance.

Mark Prisk: This Department is committed to improving the diversity of finance sources available to business. Supply chain finance was identified as a potentially valuable source of finance for some businesses in the business finance green paper Financing a Private Sector Recovery (published July 2010) and the “Government response Financing Business Growth” (published October 2010).
	As set out in “The Plan for Growth”, published alongside the Budget in March 2011, we are working with mid-cap and larger businesses and industry bodies to increase awareness and understanding of how supply chain finance could benefit private sector supply chains.
	In the public sector, Government are assessing current pilot schemes to learn lessons and consider the potential for wider public sector use of supply chain finance.

Supply Chain Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the supply chains which would benefit from the use of supply chain finance; and what representations he has received from businesses on supply chain finance.

Mark Prisk: Supply chain finance offers potential benefit to a wide range of supply chains, including in the public sector, and we are approaching it as a cross-sectoral issue.
	Some responses to the business finance green paper “Financing a Private Sector Recovery” (published July 2010) included references to supply chain finance, including responses from providers of supply chain finance tools. Ministers and officials have also discussed supply chain finance with industry representatives, major providers, large corporations who have introduced supply chain finance tools and small suppliers who have accessed supply chain finance.

Technology: Greater London

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Plan for Growth, what assessment he has made of progress in contracting out the marketing of the East London Tech City initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government announced last year its blueprint for technology—this includes plans to develop Tech City in East London. The goal is to take Britain on the right path to a high-tech future.
	As part of this, UKTI's Tech City Investment Organisation has established a team of entrepreneurs to help East London become a world-leading technology cluster and magnet for technology-led inward investment, talent and innovation.
	UK Trade and Investment is leading on the marketing for Tech City with the support of Hill and Knowlton on the international marketing strategy. The Hill and Knowlton team will be based in the heart of Tech City.

Telecommunications

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had on the future regulation of power line telecommunications devices; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27 April 2011, Official Report, column 449W.

TrustMark Scheme

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of firms accredited by the TrustMark scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: I understand there are currently 11,864 firms registered as TrustMark members ranging in size from small businesses to major companies. As some of these firms are registered for more than one trade, the number of trades registered with TrustMark (2005) Ltd currently stands at 17,499.

TrustMark Scheme

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on expanding the number of scheme operators under the TrustMark scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The operation of the TrustMark scheme and the recruitment of scheme operators is a matter for TrustMark (2005) Ltd. At the Department's regular meetings with the chief executive of TrustMark (2005) Ltd the Department is kept informed about the number of TrustMark scheme operators.

Working Hours: Doctors

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the future implementation of the European Working Time Directive for (a) hospital doctors and (b) acute medical staff.

Edward Davey: I and my officials work very closely with the Department of Health on the application of the Working Time Directive to the UK Healthcare sector, meeting as appropriate. This directive is once again being considered by the European Commission and both Departments agree that we should pursue discussions in Europe with the intention of maintaining the individual’s right to opt-out of the 48 hour working week while seeking greater flexibility particularly in the areas of on-call time and compensatory rest. This strategy is in-keeping with the commitment in the coalition agreement to work to limit the application of the Working Time Directive.